Arma Secreta

It is a general rule in most forms of journalism that the usage of the first person is huge no-no. While music reviewing allows a little leeway in regards to the “I” word, it’s still something that writers should use sparingly. Now that the groundwork has been laid, I got to be honest. I’m stuck in the fucking past – 1990 to 1999 to be specific. To this day I am still stubbornly biased towards Midwestern post-punk from that era. Examples: Christie Front Drive, Prozac Memory, Back of Dave, No Knife, Drive Like Jehu, Boy’s Life, Giant’s Chair, Vitreous Humor, and on and on and on. So it’s difficult to swallow how twee-mo bands are spawning like guppies while outfits that harkens back to this era are all but non-existent.

Memphis’ Arma Secreta is a rare exception to this trend. On its debut LP A Century’s Remains, Arma Secreta shows that not only does it tip its cap to the past but also surpasses some of them, too. With blistering hooks and intricate melodies throughout, Arma Secreta’s songs don’t just grab a melody and milk it for three minutes, but contain plenty of infectious shifts and transitions that push this disc past the fifty-minute mark. While A Century’s Remains is chalk full of memorable songs, it’s “Turin Style” that stands heads and shoulders above the rest. Running over six minutes, it has a chorus that will be churning around your head for perpetuity. It may be April, but A Century’s Remains is without a doubt one the best records you’ll pick up this year. – David Lichius (4/28/2006, The Daily Copper)

- Copper Press

Jordan S. Knows When Something's Strong Enough For A Man, But Made For A Woman (This Isn't It): Arma Secreta - A Century's Remains

Arma Secreta, the Memphis-based trio, slay in the good old fashions of At The Drive-In, Mars Volta, Bullet Train To Vegas, etc. Wildly intricate drums, thunderous guitar, rolling bass lines, and no mercy. Massive, epic, cinematic post-rock. These guys play from the heart. Found them a few months back, listened the shit out of them, wondering why it’s taken me so long to suggest it to others. These guys tear it up. Do yourself a favor, and wrecka-check-check ‘em out.
-Jordan S. - Decoy Music

Two-man band Arma Secreta (Christopher Wark, formerly of Staynless, and Bradley Bean) debut with a blast of brittle, precise, agitated art-rock suffused with cryptic lyrics and a sound and style that bear a significant resemblance to their more anthemic scenemates Augustine. "Segue/Debris" appears to be about a man in his attic awaiting alien abduction. ("He's put his things in order/Everything is ready/He's left an explanation to the ones who don't get to go.") The album's most straightforward love song is given the not-so-straightforward title "Pyah!" But mostly, meaning is harder to pin down. Luckily, Arma Secreta seem to have a handle on the time-honored indie rock strategy: Pin an evocative suggestion ("Let's start again/Let's start together/Call all your friends/It's sweater weather") to an equally evocative guitar hook, and meaning takes care of itself. ("Turin Style," "Pyah!," "Sweater Weather")
-- Chris Herrington
4/5/06 - The Memphis Flyer

Skillful post-punk executed with panache.
Arma Secreta are a solid little post-punk unit out of Memphis, primarily the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist / vocalist Chris Wark. On their debut record A Century’s Remains, they sound a lot like a more muscular, energized Pinback, which is great because I have always liked Pinback but wished they would crank up the volume once in a while. Wark writes perfectionist rock anthems with twisty, precise guitar leads, simultaneously embracing big melodies and complex song structures. It’s evocative of the late-‘90s, DeSoto / Crank! style, which is right up my alley, but with its own distinctive twist that keeps things sounding fresh.

Wark endured and ultimately beat cancer during the making of this record and put a lot of work into it, and it shows. The songs are (mostly) long and complex, but hold your interest even when they stretch beyond the six-minute mark, never leaving the often-catchy melodies behind. The rhythmic structures never wander too far into masturbatory trig-rock territory, but throw just enough change-ups to keep listeners happily on their toes. The secret weapon is the stellar Brad Bean, whose excellent kit work perfectly complements Wark’s songwriting at every turn. I’m also really digging the keyboard work on this album: it’s integral to many tracks without overpowering the other instrumentation, providing color and nuance. Good subtle work here. “Sweather Weather” is a gem with a percolating rhythm and a great vocal hook, “Turin Style” explodes with persistent layers of churning guitar atop a killer stop-start cadence, and the brilliantly titled “Pyah!” lets Arma Secreta’s gift for poppy but expressive melodies have free reign. There isn’t a weak link in the whole 50-minute record.

Arma Secreta serve up a damn good slice of indie rock. You’ve heard this before, but rarely is it executed with as much skill or panache as it is here. Even the most discerning rock snob would have trouble not finding something to like. Recommended.

-Lucas Saig 8/30/06 - TransformOnline

Although this album isn't going to be released untill the 29nd of August, but due to a leak, you can hear the electric charged punk revival-indie goodness of Arma Secreta. (Once again, we have no proof that there was a leak, other than the fact that we have the album.)

The album consists of 11 tracks most long in length. Instead of milking three minutes with mindless power chords, Christopher Wark the guitarist/bassist/vocalist/keyboard player, Bradley Bean the drummer/second vocalist/second keyboard player, and Michael Brandon the stunt bassist, provide infectious shifts and rifts that crush all other 3 men groups.

Oh that's right, I forgot, they are a 3 men group. Unlike most 3 men groups however, Arma Secreta is actually fucking good. Going back to the times of Drive Like Jehu, this band definitely crushes all competion in the 3 man race.

Fans of Cursive and Pinback will be pleased with this album, pick it up on the 29th or miss out on a kick ass album.
posted by Dom 6/13/06
- Paramilitary of Taste

Arma Secreta (that’s Italian for “secreting arm,” you know) makes a powerful showing with A CENTURY’S REMAINS, even if it doesn’t quite take home the gold. From the opening “Segue/Debris,” the music is driving, relentless – a forceful but not in-your-face army of percussion-based rhythm. Then the vocals kick in. I’m not a fan of the kind of vocal style which lands somewhere between screaming and talking loud after gargling cough syrup; here, it just detracts from the music. Still, the lyrics are good, simultaneously dealing with love and loss, hope and anger. And how can you not like a song titled “Little Snow Ninja”? I also have to applaud the disc for its excellent cover – a truly artistic statement carried through the gorgeous inside package. –Rod Lott - Hitch

Arma Secreta play a brand of emo music that is not tied to the current styles of the genre as much as it is tied to acts like Sunny Day Real Estate. The disc opens up with “Segue/Debris”, a track that actually showcases Arma Secreta’s musical skills instead of trying to converge with all of the big-name acts. While “Debris” has a sound to it that is harder than what Sunny Day would typically cut, another comparison becomes understandable at this juncture. That’s right, Arma Secreta also has hints of both Fugazi and At the Drive-In present. “Sweater Weather” is a much more sedate track that again allows listeners to feel the emotive headiness created by Arma Secreta. This track is nearly four minutes, long enough to fully expand upon Arma Secreta’s thoughts and feelings. The band does everything that they can during the fifty-plus minutes of “A Century’s Remains”; this is not the band trying to rehash tracks until they find a combination that will get them heavy play on Fuse.

Another difference between Arma Secreta and the rest of emo bands on the market has to be the lack of attention given to the vocals on “A Century’s Remains”. Sure, the band does have vocals but they are not the focal point of each and every track on the disc. None of the tracks will catapult Arma Secreta to a Panic at the Disco-type of fame, but the solid nature of this disc easily equals that provided by emo royalty like The Appleseed Cast and Desert City Soundtrack.

The compositions on “A Century’s Remains” are thoughtful enough that the disc can be looped and individuals will still be trying to decipher all of what Arma Secreta laid down on this disc. Arma Secreta should transport listeners back to the halcyon days of the mid to late nineties when the emo genre had yet to have its name sullied by all the punk rock boy-bands that are all plastered in famous magazines and television shows in the current. Songs like “A Good Clean Sweat” further raise the stock of Arma Secreta in my eyes, as the instrumental allows Arma Secreta to shine and succeed in a style that is not an easy one to succeed in. I’d like to hear more of Arma Secreta in the near future; this disc has a number of listens but I’d like to see how they refine and expand upon the style of theirs on this album.

[JMcQ] - Neufutur

The Story So Far: When his prog leaning post-hardcore band Staynless imploded in 1999, vocalist Christopher Wark salvaged several promising, but unfinished songs for his future musical endeavors. But life soon delayed those plans when Wark was diagnosed with cancer. And although he refused to undergo chemotherapy-drasticaly reforming his diet and religious practices, and enrolling in holisitic therapy instead-Wark eventually whipped his symptoms and set about realizing his artistic vision. "Cancer was a dramatic wake-up call for me," he says. "I had a third stage tumor in my large intestine that was starting to spread. I discovered a level of vigor and determination I didn't know I had."
Considering what Wark has survived, it's no surprise his song writing tends to lean more toward fractured narratives that explore the growing disconnect between communities, progress, and self. "I deliberately don't write songs about depression, feeling sorry for myself, or bad relationships," he says, "those topics
have been pretty well covered." And whether Arma's Frenetic attack-fleshed out by bassist Michael Brandon and drummer Bradley Bean-comes through fiery, artful or both on A Century's Remains, it's always compelling. "I'm a bit of a musical dictator," Wark admits. "I don't have time in my life to compromise musically and play songs I'm not passionate about."
-Tristan Staddon - Alternative Press

Arma Secreta used their "secreta" formula on their new release, A Century's Remains, composed of two cups of funky guitar and bass riffs, 1 cup of obnoxious drumming, 2 tablespoons of hushed lofty vocals, and a teaspoon of keys to create a sonic dream. As unappealing as this description may sound, be reassured their music is quite the opposite. Arma Secreta's formula mixes well, and the dual vocals from the only two members, Christopher Wark (guitar, bass, keys, iron fist) and Bradley Bean (drum kit, keys, and heartburn), under a bed of layered guitar and bass had me unconsciously tapping my feet and shaking my hips. Needless to say, their sound is definitely different than most and definitely gets me moving. Many of the lyrics and arrangements sound serious, yet Arma Secreta show they still have a humorous side, with songs like "Little Snow Ninja" and the awesome band photo.
-Rand Renfrow - HM Magazine

When punk and its quickly birthed off-spring post-punk exploded across the music scene, it initially appeared without to be without antecedents. No past, no future, that was punk's claim to fame; music for the moment, for tomorrow we all may die. Obviously the arrival of post-punk put paid to the second half of that equation, but it's only been with hindsight that the falsehood of the former has slowly been exposed. Arma Secreta never set out to help topple punk's foundation myth, but with their debut album A Century's Remains, they've done so nonetheless.With their rock leanings, occasional punk bends, and multiplicity of post-punk influences, Arma make a nonsense of the lines drawn in the sand back in 1976. For starters, for all their big sound, the unit itself is a mere duo who sound like a five-piece band, because between Christopher Wark and Bradley Bean, the two multi-instrumentalists are. That's notable in itself, but it's the music that truly impresses. From the rock world they take the thunder, crafting a huge, bottom heavy sound that send the speakers shaking, emphasized by the predominant bass lines and stop-start rhythms so beloved by the post-punks. Their gloamy atmospheres are a toss-up, it too was a signature of the post-punks, but was equally important to the likes of Black Sabbath and many of the other early metal bands. The buzzsaw guitars come courtesy of Siouxsie & the Banshees, borrowed of course from The Velvet Underground, the more delicate leads from both New Wave and rock, while their chiming harmonies tip a hat to the more modern melodic punk scene.Numbers like "Salon Song" almost defy description, The Jam played by Gang of Four, The Sisters of Mercy meet The Banshees, hardcore meets nucore? At some point, each of those apply. "Segue/Debris" smashes hardrock into hardcore, before suddenly upending into a delicate interlude of keyboard and guitar. "Sweater Weather" best captures their strong melodies, "Turin Style" their devastating anthemic choruses. Every song has its own unexpected revelations, with the lyrics and themes as eclectic as the music itself. A splendid set, and a fabulous debut.
-by Jo-Ann Greene
- Allmusic.com