No Fly List

NFL hits #20 on CKCU's top 50 albums of 2011! - CKCU (Carleton University Radio)

Produced by Dave Dudley and released in April of this year, Blaze On is an excellent mix of wonderfully earnest and pleasingly rousing collection of tracks.

No Fly List has a sound that fits into the same atmosphere as fellow Canadians The Skydiggers or Blue Rodeo. The band mixes a bit of a rock edge, thanks to the guitar work, with the attractiveness of sheer radio-friendly pop-rock. Some songs seem warmer than others, yet each song in the track list effervesces with its own distinct flair and character.

“4 Chords Away” opens up the album with semi-crunchy guitar work and an effective, gritty feel. The drums create a great backdrop, leading up to a strong chorus and an amicable rock glide. “4 Chords Away” is followed by “A Secret Amongst Friends”, where Millett’s prominent vocals take center stage against a rollicking back set of winding guitar and effective bass licks. There’s a real Blue Rodeo aura to the sound of this tune…warm lyrics surrounded by a semi-rock congeniality, all created by an attractive tempo and the ebb-and-tide guitar work.

“Shock Therapy” opens with a forceful guitar riff chugging into a catchy rhythm…not too hard and not too complacent, with the vocals slipping in nicely under the instruments to take the lead. “Ambush” slows things down a bit, riding a leisurely wave of vocals and charming guitar interplay. The chorus splashes briskly into the mix without taking anything away from the introspectiveness of the lyrics or the allure of the song’s mood.

The title track from the album carries on with No Fly List’s excellent adeptness at construing lovely ballads. It’s relaxed and gentle transport, trippy and bright sounding, is bolstered by some strong string work and honest singing. There’s a gorgeous feel-good nature to this tune, and its mood is of one that the band establishes extremely well. “Upstate” follows suit, guided by a convivial and casual rhythmic pace and plaintive, lost-in-the-clouds disposition. The song’s airy transcendence is aided by the lyrics, “Upstate is where my body is…” gliding ever-so-gently across the calming melody of the song.

“Self-Disciplined” shows the most teeth, opening with a hard-bottomed guitar pulse and haunting vocals, followed by a charged chorus and an edgier all-around feel from start to finish. More than all of the other tracks “Self-Disciplined” proves that the band can produce amicable, radio-friendly rock as well as their staple sound of warm, reflective modern folk-rock.

As a debut album, Blaze On comes off as a pleasing set of songs for all audiences. While the band’s writing will get stronger with time, there isn’t a lot of fine tuning required in the vocals, instrumentation, and overall aura of No Fly List’s music. They’ve established their musical niche, they’ve found their sound, and all that is left to do is build peripherally around these elements to progress successfully in the music biz…and they have a wonderful debut to springboard from. - Mike DeGagne

I recently acquired a No Fly List record called ‘Blaze On’. It’s a rock’n’roll record that was released by the Ottawa trio this past April. Originally starting as a jam band, the No Fly List quickly had momentum building around their area. They have been playing local venues, which originally consisted of showing up for open mic nights. It quickly turned into a serious band selling out Irene’s Pub in Ottawa for the release of their debut record.

Blaze On is a rock’n’roll record, and a solid one for sure. It opens with ‘4 Chords Away,’ which is a very Canadian song. Think 54-40 meets Blue Rodeo. It’s rockin’ and hooky with fun riffs all over the place. Next up is a really smooth transition into ‘A Secret Amongst Friends’. To me, it’s the mellower singer/songwriter sister of the first track. Next is ‘Shock Therapy’, and it’s the tastiest track on the record. It’s definitely the danciest. Almost at the midpoint of the record is ‘Up For Air’ which is an instrumental ditty reaching just over a minute in length. I would describe it as atmospheric, classical pop. Following this is ‘Ambush,’ an acoustic lament turned shoegaze-style song that is almost epic in quality. It’s nice how the clean guitars mesh with distorted guitars. It never gets out of control which is good. It’s not too much and stays within the realm of what it should be. The next three songs stay on the mellower side of things with ‘Blaze On’, ‘Upstate’ and ‘Ambush (Reprise) which are all good songs in their own right. ‘Self Discipline’ picks it up again with a fun feelin’ bass heavy rock track. Lastly is a track which showcases the band's musicianship and songwriting abilities.

Overall ‘Blaze On’ is a strong debut record from the No Fly List. I really think their strengths lie in their alternative rock’n’roll style of songs. That being said, the songs on the lighter side still hold their own. I can only imagine that the No Fly List puts on a hell of a show. One could expect that the rockin’ tracks are full of energy and the mellower ones are as captivating as all hell.

Highlights: 4 Chords Away, A Secret Amongst Friends, Shock Therapy and Self Disciplined

I look forward to seeing the boys in action. If you are in the Ottawa area you are in for a treat because you can do just that.

Cheers Rockers, - Kent Rocks, Spun

I'm ashamed to admit I don't listen to enough home-grown talent, but, when I was handed the debut album Blaze On, I figured what did I have to lose? Ten tracks, just over half an hour; I could afford that. Upon the first listen, it just sounded like your typical Canadian indie rock music. On second listen I fell in love. Opening track, "4 Chords Away," was an early contender for favourite track on the album, but how did the rest of the album fair? Really well. So well, in fact, that like The Wind Up Radio Sessions last year, No Fly List has become the rock album of the summer for me. Right now the album is only available on iTunes, but it's oh, so worth it. Take a listen to "4 Chords Away," "A Secret Among Friends," or the title track "Blaze On" to see what I mean. - Mike Cullen, (Cult)ure Magazine

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 Kazemi, 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.

cadieux_nflBlaze 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.

"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. - Agnes Cadieux, (Cult)ure Magazine