Stepping Out of Line: The Anthology

Stepping Out of Line: The Anthology is a 2006 compilation cd containing every available track recorded by the brief-lived 1980s British post-punk band Au Pairs, described by All Music's reviewer as "one of the smartest, sharpest bands of the post-punk era." The Au Pairs were frequently jarring and dissonant, closely related musically and thematically to other post-punk bands like Mekons or the Gang of Four, but the Au Pairs are unusual in the eve... more

Stepping Out of Line: The Anthology is a 2006 compilation cd containing every available track recorded by the brief-lived 1980s British post-punk band Au Pairs, described by All Music's reviewer as "one of the smartest, sharpest bands of the post-punk era." The Au Pairs were frequently jarring and dissonant, closely related musically and thematically to other post-punk bands like Mekons or the Gang of Four, but the Au Pairs are unusual in the even division of the band between male and female members and their deep exploration of sexual politics. Sexual roles and conflicts are a recurrent theme through the album. Allegations of rape and torture of Irish women imprisoned in the city of Armagh in Northern Ireland are the subject of the song "Armagh." "Diet" is a strident ode to the repetitive role of the housewife. Social pressures on men, too, are examined: "Come Again" refers to the polite requirement for equal orgasm in a modern, civilized couple. The compilation, like the band, was... less