Monday, March 7th, 2016

Mamamoo – Taller Than You

Short people got no reason to live…


[Video][Website]
[5.08]

Jessica Doyle: When was the last time you saw an all-female group marketed as funny without also being, in itself, a joke? Mamamoo is pursuing the clown-princess concept more vigorously with each album, and that keeps them interesting even though their singles mostly turn out cheerful but (perhaps deliberately) unchallenging. That said, I don’t need to replay this when “Pink Panties” is still available.
[5]

Madeleine Lee: It’s a novelty song, with a high concept (“a rap diss track, but about being short!”) in the vein of the group’s Unpretty Rapstar parody. And given that I recently all but sent out a mass e-mail announcement when I found out that I’m 1cm taller than I previously thought, this struggle is all too real to me. So I get it, but I still think this is pretty bad. It’s not any more lame or embarrassing than the worst of Illionaire Records, and they’re being serious about it, but note that I am comparing this to their worst.
[2]

Daisy Le Merrer: This probably what people imagine when I tell them I enjoy Korean pop music.
[3]

Cassy Gress: I am barely 5’1″, and this wants to sound a lot like a late 90s/early 00s Dre production, and that plus the orange jumpsuits in the video and this mess is basically boo on all of this.
[3]

Micha Cavaseno: Listen, I’m 5’4″. 5’3″ if you listen to my sister (which, don’t). I have “enjoyed” many an occasion where folks have reminded me that I’m short as hell and had it rubbed in my face. Nothing’s more stressful in dating than hearing from someone who’s also a midget “Sorry I only date 6 foot and up ;D” like we’re apparently not socializing but recruiting for Ohio State. Given that level of chip on my low-level shoulder, you’d think I’d be irritated with “Taller Than You.” And you’re RIGHT. I’m infuriated. I hear this song all 400 times I listen to it, and I get sick. Not only is this so rude, but its got a hook and a beat that sound like an early ’00s Eminem single in its cheekiness. At least one of you is going to point out “Hey, uh, Max, this is basically two girls mocking each other. It’s not really your struggle.” LISTEN. UNTIL YOU NEED TO SCALE A GROCERY STORE SHELF LIKE A CHAMELEON BECAUSE SOME DICK AT PATHMARK DECIDED THE ON-SALE BRAND SHOULD BE UP TOP, YOU DON’T KNOW THE HALF. This wounds me deep and just for so absurdly mean a song, its ridiculously catchy and fun as fuck. *steps off my milk-crate* Even though Mamamoo are jerks, and the outro is just plain annoying.
[7]

Patrick St. Michel: Goofy rap always runs the risk of being, well, too goofy for its own good, but after a year of “It G Ma” and “Korean Migos” and way too much Diplo, the outright messing around of “Taller Than You” is refreshing. This is three minutes of Mamamoo making fun of their height. That’s it. It’s a bit unambitious when it comes to the actual music, as the initial shock of hearing a beat inspired by Eminem in 2016 wears off on multiple listens — though, that breakdown is on par with a handful of K-pop songs that were being very serious about themselves — but then again this is a few minutes of people telling each other to buy more shoe insoles.
[6]

Jonathan Bogart: So much of an early-2000s throwback that the video is even in 4:3 aspect ratio. Which as far as I’m concerned is great; the early 2000s was the most recent golden age of pop music. I’ve always loved pop at its most bright, cartoonish, and goofy, and Mamamoo presses all those buttons.
[7]

Jonathan Bradley: Its replication of turn-of-the-century Dr. Dre production is so unerring as to sink the track into the uncanny valley: the precision with which it evokes past 2001 or Blu Cantrell or Eve cuts induces in me not welcome recognition but a vertiginous sickness. Even the hook recalls Eminem at his most grating moments. This is a sound I enjoy, and Mamamoo’s raps snap like a mousetrap, but the ghost of pop past is too quease-inducing in this instance for me to appreciate it.
[4]

Alfred Soto: Are the guitars evoking “Still D.R.E.”? The delivery and timing of the vocals sure are, though — early ’00s hip-hop to be specific. They match the taunts and sass.
[7]

Brad Shoup: Imagine Eminem could only make height jokes and you’re mostly there. The track is uncannily like “Still D.R.E.,” and when they combine their vox they end up at “Let Me Blow Ya Mind”. Hey, at least they’re having fun cracking on each other.
[6]

Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: For a band that I usually associate with strong vocal harmonies and sparkling hooks, hearing them take a shot at rap was kind of uncomfortable at first, but the kooky flow and the “Mamamoo, Mamamoo” chorus are just adorable. The beat takes cues from both “Still D.R.E.” and “The Real Slim Shady” — which might be the reason why humor plays such an important role here — but the girls really make it work. Plus, the trap outro deserves to be its own full-length piece. 
[6]

Iain Mew: The chanting and the embrace of the playground remind me of “Yum Yum Yum,” but they sound too cool to achieve the potential energy. The speed up at the end would rescue things if it was more than Wheein repeating one taunt to breaking point. It’s funny, but it could be more.
[5]

Reader average: [5.83] (6 votes)

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6 Responses to “Mamamoo – Taller Than You”

  1. i love maxwell

  2. Huh, I was expecting that you guys were doing their actual single when you said you were doing Mamamoo this week… but either way! This wasn’t really my favorite from them but I did find it funny.

    DON’T REMIND ME OF YUM YUM YUM though now it’s stuck in my head forever again.

  3. Nyam nyam NYAM NYAM NYAM NYAM. Sorry not sorry.

    As for the song choice, it’s a feature (/bug) of our lead times that we sometimes start writing about a song without realising that it will be followed up before we get to the post about it.

  4. The orange jumpsuits are great, the racism is terrible, this song was robbed.

  5. The single is boring, anyway

  6. “This is probably what people imagine when I tell them I enjoy Korean pop music.” dead on. they have some good songs, but this is about as dire as korea gets…