Moments in Movement

Formerly Romy Hoffman, Australian rapper Macromantics has released a debut hip-hop album that will keep her listeners guessing from track to track. After discovering hip-hop on a 1995 American tour with her pop punk band Noise Addict, Miss Macro spent the next few years fine-tuning her solid rhymes and traditional beats. It’s when she veers from the traditional path, however, that the album is at its best. From the time-honored intro touting her abilities as an emcee to "Locksmith," on which she and Sage Francis intersperse rap with a collection of robotic-sounding voice recordings, to the ethereal "Love Thyself," Miss Macro keeps each tune fresh and unique.

The album’s overall feel is dark and eerie, keeping in step with the grimier hip-hop coming out of many parts of the world, most notably England. Pop culture fans will particularly appreciate the references that weave their way through the album; some obvious, some inferred. Name drops include Susan Faludi and Corey Haim, to name a few, and "Apple Crumble" is so infused with a nostalgic roller rink sound that it would tempt any listener to strap on a pair of roller skates.

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