All about the brass.
[Video][Website]
[6.22]
Mo Kim: This would have no problem hopping over to North America: just let Amber drop a few verses in English, sub in Taeyeon and her ebullience for Ariana Grande or Selena Gomez, and watch the basketball beats, dollar-store horns and jangly percussion do the rest of the magic. Tacky and overstuffed in the same way Carvel ice cream cake is, this floats on the tightness of its composition and the percussive/emotive ability of its two respective singers.
[8]
Edward Okulicz: Based on this, Amber and Taeyeon should form a duo and fill the hole left by the retirement of A-game Gwen Stefani, and render Iggy Azalea obsolete in the non-American female rapper crossover star stakes. There’s just so much bounce and charisma here. This isn’t an overstuffed banger; it’s a banger stuffed to near-perfection I am also allocating extra kudos because the “na-na-na-na” bit reminds me of comical UK flop group All*Stars’ “Things That Go Bump in The Night.”
[9]
Micha Cavaseno: The weirdest part is Taeyeon’s spotlight moment and dashes of “Yeah” in the song: an odd distraction from fun and funky Amber’s solo single is. Given that f(x) have been navigating themselves into SERIOUS territories, an artier, more elusive cousin to their megapop rivals, it’s great to know just how casual and chipper “Shake That Brass” has turned out. The production is all Alice In Wonderland-style trapdoor plummets into bouncy castles, and Amber’s effortless technique is finally getting a real showcase. The virtuosity in her hands is smoother than, say, the tire-peeling grinds of the average male K-Pop rapper, and she radiates the charisma that comes from being the most unique visual presence of her group and field. Great to see that such individuality can translate into the recognition of her own moment to shine.
[7]
Alfred Soto: And some brass it is. As the anniversary pieces for Arular crash on the shore, let’s appreciate these continental cross-pollinations
[7]
Iain Mew: I like the way “better get that brass ready” comes after the entrance of the brass, as if to emphasises how feeble it is. That feebleness is a problem for a track built around the brass, no matter how great and versatile your singer is.
[4]
Jessica Doyle: “Shake that brass” is not a good enough pun to survive being repeated 22 times in three minutes (and yes, Hyuna got away with something similar, but the punning of “Red” was funnier and more daring). I am going relatively high to acknowledge this song’s role as a gateway towards more adorable Amber/Ailee bromance moments, but more importantly towards the next track on the mini, “Love Run“. Which is gorgeous and urban — and I mean “urban” not as a dog-whistle but as a nod to the song’s actual sense of place, its geographic contextualization of its pleading — to put it another way: there’s a reason why Frank Kogan keeps praising songs by referring to the almost-quiet of a street outside a Manhattan club at 2 am in the mid-1980s. And “Love Run” wouldn’t have worked as a single on its own (sadly), so I’m glad SM played it safe for the opener.
[6]
Scott Mildenhall: The wonky brass hooks of “drunk octopus” fame come to life as their precise descriptive and sonic equivalent. With something so vibrant yet controlled, Amber and Taeyeon make a virtue of not really going anywhere.
[7]
Brad Shoup: “Better get that brass ready,” she says while it plays. At the bari sax knows how to double a good horn line.
[3]
Patrick St. Michel: Any letdown is a result of expecting anything special at all. Amber seems way more interesting a person than this song’s generic party-up lyrics and horn-centric music (plus..that “hey ho” thing, let’s leave that in the past). “Brass” sounds fine, a little playful but ultimately coming off more like a statement of arrival. But this confidence sounds like a Xerox and doesn’t tell me why Amber stands out from the pack.
[5]