Bostich + Fussible Tijuana Sound Machine

• Words: Luciana Lopez
• Label: Nacional
• XLR8R Rating: 7.5/10

Their Latin Grammy-nominated Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 3 leaned more toward the techno half of their sound, but here Bostich and Fussible get closer to their Norteño side. It’s far from an acoustic album, with loops, vocoders, and synths throughout. But the accordions get turned up higher, the horns become brassier, and acoustic percussion plays a bigger role. The beats still draw more from techno, though traces of Norteño’s polka-bounce remain, as on “Shake It Up.” Some songs lean more toward electronics (“Rosarito”) than others (“Brown Bike,” which includes vocals), but everything is efficient, nothing clocking in even as long as four minutes. They're not hard-core Norteño–no Mexican corridos about life on the border, say–but definitely closer on the family tree.