Romy
Sleep
4 Track, Single (2010, Independent)
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Related: Macromantics, Romy.
With 2006's Moments in Movement (recorded under former moniker Macromantics) and its accompanying explanations, you could say we were amply forewarned. At the time, most interviews with the then 26-year-old Romy Hoffman hinted at a restless and provocative musical sensibility that wouldn't be confined to any one style for long. Harder to stomach, perhaps, would be the notion that the indie hip-hop firebrand's lyrical snarl would find a new home in one of the world's least eloquent genres: disco.
‘Sleep’ is an upbeat dancefloor kicker, playing a straight beat off against plucky 909 rimshots and fat, buzzing bass stabs. Paying homage to the modern Italo Disco revival is the eerie quiver of a chorused synthesiser, the likes of which could easily have been lifted from Glass Candy's ‘Life After Sundown’, or a bad tele-movie about ghosts. (Those familiar with boutique label Italians Do It Better will recognise similarity to Johnny Jewel's favoured "mysterious arpeggio".) When the vocals kick in, two or three Romys (Romies?) sing diva-like about the usual stuff: mirror balls, love, dancing and how late at night it is. The track is strongest in its climax, where the song's “Intense” feeling surges to something resembling “Dramatic”.
While the single is no slouch tempo-wise, autumnal DJs are more likely to be spinning its remix by The Juan Maclean. The track has a compelling, spacious bounce, punctuated by string stabs and twinkles: allusions to early 1990s commercial house chart hits. Its dissonant, stilted delivery is memorable on repeat listens, only occasionally in a bad way – with its repetition of slices of Romy's vocals (“Teach me, teach me, teach me, teach me”, and so on).
The song receives yet another reworking courtesy of Brain Children, which sounds like poor old John Cougar Mellencamp's ‘Jack and Diane’ sped up for the modern age. Nostalgic synth noodling and Moog-ish bass round out the arrangement, which loses its beat halfway and ultimately sounds like the kind of song you'd hear over the end credits of a film that ends happily.
But it's not all about happy endings. ‘Love Is Life’ breaks the feeling of resolution with cutting synth pop and a bassline that squirts and quavers with pulsing conviction. A melancholy descending melody cuts through a sea of chirping keys while Romy sings her verses through a fog thick with delay and the memory of ESG's Scroggins sisters.
With only two of the single's four tracks produced by Hoffman herself – and those two vastly different – it's difficult to estimate with any certainty whether her production can match the innovative quality of former collaborator Buchman. There is a sense that the songs could benefit from more dynamism; then again, these tight and loud numbers will sound good on the radio. What is clear on ‘Sleep’ is that Romy handles the challenges of MCing better than those of her ambitious melodies. There's something a bit off about her delivery; falling short of some notes, overshooting others. And at other times, it feels as though she's still spitting things out a bit harshly; remnants of her former life, perhaps?
Regardless, there's little more interesting than watching artists shift direction – and Romy's metamorphosis will be one worth observing.
by Babette Gladney
Indie hip-hop MC Macromantics will be delivering the “last live transc…
Melbourne MC Macromantics has captured the moment, offered a new take …
Slightly baffling song. I kinda hate the chorus but the rest is alright, eh?
Macro is back! swoon
been keen to hear this new stuff for a while.
nice review. sounds informed.
not a fan at all, and I quite liked macromantics and production.
it's so INYOURFACEINTENSE. don't like it.
oh dear. do not like.
I dig it. But i like to disco.
i like the idea of people making good, fun dance music... but a lot of this stuff all sounds the same and lacks strong character/originality. the label mentioned in the review is really samey and boring. but i suppose it doesn't matter too much. it's just dance music
what do you mean ''it's just dance music''?
like a lot of labels, IDIB has some greatness and plenty of not-so-greatness. it's pretty hard to be great, i think.
not much
It sounds a bit nova dance to me, will do well with the kids i reckon. It's a long way from traditional disco though.
Dance music has a lot of meaning to many people, it has distinct and continuing socio-political underpinning that's often lost on Rock critics.
I wonder if that's why Romy decided to foray into it...
Babette's ''rock critical'' knowledge is intimidatingly deep. Great review.
let it breathe
I think it's good.
Well produced. It's been mixed well. The keyboard break is reminiscent of Glass Candy / Chromatics, but that's a good thing.
Hard to predict if it'll do well. It's so hard to predict ANYTHING in music these days.
But I like the song. Producing a good disco track is harder than 'rock' people think.
world's least eloquent genres - disco
i try and avoid spilling my brain on this site, but that statement hurts.
glass candy are not the only people to have released any 'disco' in the last 2 decades. I'll never understand how their album made it onto every i-pod, but i guess it's definitely one step forward
disco is an attitude and a way of listening and approaching music, not one style or genre. More importantly, there is a very very passionate and intelligent community of people into DISCO. It's super exciting that people are pursuing it locally. i will be quite now.
I took that part as kind of a joke! I mean, as tig says, it's obvious that every genre has its own set of cues and secondary/implied meanings, feelings and codes - I don't think anybody would ever assert that people who listen to Rock are dealing with a different emotional range to those listening to Jazz or whatever.
I imagine what's being said here is merely that Romy is going from freestyling really verbose verses and yammering about stealing dudes' girlfriends to singing fairly simplistic lines in that kinda detached way that some modern dance tracks favour. It's probably more about the contrast than anything intrinsic to disco... it would be pretty rich of any critic to dismiss a genre so readily, especially when they seem to have some kind of interest in it.
I agree but I don't really think this song works, for me at least. I do think tig is right - Nova will probably lap it up!
And Romy did say in that other interview that she's been thinking about how she can work hard and make a living off of music, so... maybe we're not the target audience anyway!
I'd be interested to hear this....her effort at hip hop in 2006 was pretty spectacular in a good and bad way
Errr. There is a play button up the top!
having listened to this song,
I think it sux
thanks
agreed, totally, just a knee jerk reaction to 'disco' being used as a dirty word.
From an article by Guy Blackman in The Age a few years ago:
^Well at least she is honest. I agree with untold Nova will lap it up (I'm merely indifferent).
indie is a dirtier word than disco
That's funny, it sounds to me like it says ''Teach me''/''Eat me''. Creepy/sexy!
weirdo
i like dance music (to a degree) but i wasn't totally sold on this. lyrics are patchy; hook is ok but verses are boring. the production isn't great. babette's on the money i reckon.
Romy!
You know what, i think i might like it now.......
ohh man! i'm so excited about this release. where can i buy it?
shoulda tried this
woke up with the hook totally on loop in my head... that's a good thing.
so excited about this release. where can i buy it? The single edit is on I-Tunes for sale, not the remix's though.
Ah crap. It's growing on me a bit!
if peeps wanna hear the juan remix you can do so here at RCRDLBL.
i wanna hear ''love is life''.
i like it. romy is amazing. its super catchy.
From the New War Thread:
I JUST FUCKEN REALIZE SHE IS PLAYING TMR!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ROMY/362328152266#!/event.php?eid=113632605392781
fucken crash with The Laurels though!
Did she find her wider audience?
^^^ ?
Bump for tonight
Just heard this for the first time, and it's the most repulsive thing i've heard in years, lucky it's from a year ago. She's better than this, right?
does romy perform songs she recorded as macromantics?
Her rap stuff is better than singing stuff. It is like a reverse Catcall.
i don't mind romy's singing. this sounds pretty good.
I like it but rap stuff is better. Still thinking if I should go to Laurels or her gig...
Romy Hoffman: BLACKLUSTRE
Exhibition: 1-10 September 2011
Opening Celebrations: 6-8pm Thursday 1 September 2011
BLACKLUSTRE is a celebration of black thinkers and culture in today's pop world. BLACKLUSTRE is also an investigation of otherness, minorities and white guilt. Romy Hoffman is a singing songstress and sonic composer, who likes to rant and rave. When she isn't making music, the artist obsessively jots and draws, doodles and documents. Romy Hoffman makes up her own jokes and illustrates them; she is, literally, a word play artist. This is her second solo exhibition at NO NO GALLERY: in 2010 she showed almost 100 drawings completed in the space of only one week.
mein gott
teach me teach me teach me teach me teach me teach me teach me
What happened to Macromantics?