Starting the Summer off Right |
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| Written by Agnes Cadieux |
| Monday, 27 June 2011 00:00 |
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If you're looking for raw, unhindered new talent, what better place to find it than in your own backyard? Comprised of Kris Millet, Reza Kazemi1, and Russell Schipilow, Ottawa's own No Fly List is starting to make waves. What started out as just a casual gathering of friends back in 2008 quickly became something serious. Tinkering with lyrics and melodies soon became open mic night, which eventually became sell-out shows in venues around the city. The band is gaining notice, fast, and, with their debut album, Blaze On, already two months post-release, we can expect a lot from these up-and-coming musicians.
"Shock Therapy" is one of those songs that just seems to burrow into your brain and stay there. The lyrics are simple and fun and really easy to sing along to. It is one of the quicker tunes on the album and has a great guitar rhythm that I immediately took to. At this point I was getting used to the upbeat flow of thing when halfway through the CD a song I can only describe as haunting broke through my speakers. The more down-beat song, ironically called "Ambush," was one of my favourites. With excellent chord work and a killer melody, this song exhibits the raw emotion I was waiting to hear. Millet's voice made me really stop and listen. Well done. No Fly List's songs are quick, catchy, and something I could easily hear playing on my radio. It's not as rock as I was expecting it to be, but they are certainly growing into their own style and developing into a band with a rather alluring appeal to them. I recommend visiting their website where you can preview their music before joining No Fly List as they jump-start summer celebrations this Thursday, June 30th at the Elmdale Tavern. [1]Reza Kazemi was initially misidentified as Dave Combden. Our apologies. Tags: alt country, blaze on, folk, local, music, no fly list, ottawa, review, unironic love of aerosmith and thin lizzy
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Comments (2)
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great job agnes! i reviewed them for next month, but it looks like you beat me to the punch! it's interesting that we had very different listening experiences. i loved "4 chords away" instantly, while there were other songs that needed some time to grow on me. all in all, i thoroughly enjoyed the album as well!
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Thanks Mike, |
Blaze On weighs in at just over 10 songs and 30 minutes of play. Despite their claim to be a mixture of folk and alt-country, layered over of their love for 70s rock bands like Aerosmith and Thin Lizzy, their first song, "4 Chords Away," blazes through the speakers sounding a little too country for me. After the shock wore off, I gave the song another chance, delighted to hear the country slur fade out to a rugged and fist-pumping tune full of good melodies and easy lyrics. The album continues in this upbeat direction until something cool happens: there's folk instrumental strategically placed amidst all the energy. I enjoyed how it broke up the pacing, and it really caught my attention - it made me listen.
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