Killola shines on second release

Once you get above the four-star rating, you know there's something special about the album you're considering purchasing or are about to listen to. "I Am The Messer" from L.A. garage pop rockers Killola is one of those albums.

Hook laden, full of intense layered vocal harmonies, and simplistically complicated, each track on "I Am The Messer" could stand on its own as a single although we do have favorites on this release. From the opening track "This is How the World Ends" straight through to "10,000 Pound Ego," Killola makes it clear that they are here and ready to rock. "I Am The Messer" is 10 pop-rock soaked tracks with more edge than a drawer full of knives.

"This is How the World Ends" opens the album with strong riffs that really give this album its balls. Lead singer Lisa Rieffel's vocals perfectly play off the feeling of the song and it's hard not to appreciate the style and fire in which each word is laced with. While a rock song at heart, drummer Dan Grody and bassist Johnny Dunn do everything in their power to make sure the song straddles both the rock world and the MTV world. If this is how the world ends, we can't wait.

Rather than slowing down, the band charges straight ahead into the 1980s-esque tune "All of My Idols are Dead." And while a tongue-in-cheek homage to rock and pop idols of days gone by, the song serves as a stark reminder for those of us who remember when music stars were few and far between. We envision an animated, Nintendo 64 style video for this catchy tune.

The album continues to meld rock and roll with electronica with synthesizers and overdubbed vocals on tracks like "Strung Out on Sunshine," "Is This a Love Song," "Heart Rate 160," and "10,000 Pound Ego." But that's not to say that there are no rockers on this album. Take a listen to "Personal Graveyard" and "Wa Da We Da."

While it's hard to pick standouts from this album, we're quite frond of "You Can't See Me Because I'm a Stalker," "Wa Da We Da," "All of My Idols are Dead" and "Heart Rate 160." If you're lucky enough to download the free album courtesy of DW Drums you'll be able to check out the fun song intros that just make a great album even better (be sure to check out our pal Walter's introduction to "Wa Da We Da." We dig it. In fact, we're thinking of starting the I Love Walter Fan Club…)

Killola manages to slay any competition that may be out there, but then again, with "I Am The Messer" out there, it really wasn't a fair battle.