Everybody's a Pinata

El Gato are a bit of an anomaly in the space rock clime of their hometown of Denton, TX. The band certainly exhibits some of the atmospheric tendencies of their peers — distant piano, echoed backing vocals, lush guitars, etc. — but they're also prone to rocking a little bit harder, sonically name-checking the Flaming Lips, Jane's Addiction, and Mogwai. The band does have a tendency to wear their influences prominently on their collective sleeve, as in "Delivering the Birds"' uncomfortably filched OK Computer guitar lines. But El Gato really can't be faulted for what was more than likely an unconscious nod of admiration. Everybody's a Piñata is the band's first major release, and there's a wealth of charisma, singularity, and energy in their songs; complex arrangements that breathe and sigh as they flow through the disc, but are versatile enough to accommodate the occasional resonant psychedelic rave-up. A great start for a band that should only get better.