Piñata

Album Review

The savvy synthesis of traditional Mexican music with state-of-the-art electronica on Méjico Máxico (2006), the debut Mexican Institute of Sound album, continues on the second album by producer/songwriter Camilo Lara under the MIS banner, Piñata. The folkloric-electronic formula may seem simple, but Lara is savvy. His productions are rhythmically compelling, most importantly, and he adorns them tastefully with a variety of characteristically Mexican sounds, be it a horn riff, a cumbia break, or a Café Tacuba sample. There aren't many vocals on Piñata — and most of them are sampled, or spoken word — though there are enough to make this more than a typically faceless electronica album. "El Micrófono" is one of the more vocally driven songs on the album, and sequenced early, it's an immediate standout (all the more so because it's the song with the aforementioned Café Tacuba sample, from "Chilanga Banda"). Sequenced adjacent to "El Micrófono" is "Escribeme Pronto," another standout vocal track and perhaps the album's most infectiously upbeat song. Following these early highlights, Piñata becomes increasingly esoteric, veering at one point ("A Todos Ellos") into a beat-driven montage of people voicing their artistic influences. Those who would prefer an entire album filled with catchy songs like "El Micrófono" and "Escribeme Pronto" may be disappointed by the esoteric turn. Yet Lara's desire to experiment with samples and spoken word, in addition to sung vocals, is a positive quality, showcasing his breadth of ideas and how Mexican Institute of Sound is much more than fashionable background music for clubs and commercials.