MUSIC VS MUSIC, NSM PSMEMI, Mexico ***
Rating: 68
By Jean-Stephane Beriot
NSM PSM or No Somos Machos Pero Somos Muchos has been making noise for a while in Mexico City’s nights of hipsteria, which they have contributed to build as pronounced DJs with some hits of their own already. The duo that forms NSM PSM is also part of the live band that makes up the Mexican Institute of Sound, mindless to say this is an album people has been anticipating for a while. While most of our region’s electronic acts endeavor Europe’s poignant electronic pop sonic world these guys sound a lot funkier, even jazzy if not lounge. They put plenty of precision to every beat, and they’re determined to make explosions out of them.
The video for “Clap Your Brains Off” brought them attention from just everybody, even from Kanye West and let’s not forget that extensive mind-opening article on American Cinematographer. The track is addictive; I seriously don’t mind putting my health on risk for at such sonic heights because after all, I guess that’s what an individual with “alto criterio musical” would do. Music vs Music is like an energized computer-based monolog that becomes something too much to consummate, but let it be clear it’s a unique experience not for its concept or innovations, these guys are just in full control of their practice. It also helps that they’re not as heavily impossible as NASA’s The Spirit of Apollo.
NSM PSM is clearly ambitious and they realize that scratching isn’t enough to make visible scars; I guess you need repetition and it’s definitely here. The fact that the album’s structure is depicted as a one-linear long track makes it difficult to highlight certain tracks and very easy to point out the dry spots. “It’s Going Down” steps out immediately because of Anita Tijoux’s appearance on the vocals, the claps and bouncing waves work wonderfully here as well as in the tracks with additional samplings like the should-be-second-single “Music vs Music” and some of the interludes. Despite some forgettable moments and a lack of direction, NSM PSM manages to sound excruciatingly contagious and messy all throughout, which is probably what they aimed for on the first place, plus, how awesome is that artwork!