Infernal Machines

D.J. Argue (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 27, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: New Amsterdam
• ASIN: B00284XLVQ
• Also Available in: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,533 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #83 in Music > Jazz > Orchestral Jazz

Editorial Reviews

Review

Composer and big-band leader Darcy James Argue's blog (secretsociety.typepad.com) contains some of the most literate and invigorating writing about modern jazz and its context--free of cliché, wary of dogma, catholic about tastes, and fastidious about details. The same can be said of Mr. Argue's compositions for the extraordinary ensemble he conducts. A few years ago, this was something of a secret society, playing Manhattan clubs in semi-obscurity. An audience steadily grew, attracted in part via the blog's free downloads of performances, which chronicled the music's development. This debut studio recording reveals something fully matured: brimming with fresh ideas; elegant in its combination of disparate influences (from distorted electric guitar to magisterial wind-instrument arrangements to minimalist rhythms); and accomplished in execution. -- Wall Street Journal, Larry Blumenfeld, December 2009

A little more than a decade ago, Maria Schneider served notice that big band jazz was no longer the domain of our grandparents. She has gone on to own the genre and now, Brooklyn resident and star Schneider pupil, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society takes it to an exceptional place with his debut, Infernal Machines. What is exceptional is how true to the pure nature of jazz this collection is; full of innovation, creativity, and bold, daring departures from the commonplace. Free improvisation, or its more conscious counterpart, is difficult even in a small setting. Argue's eighteen piece ensemble manages to pull off a menagerie of styles that range from dissonant to lyrical to a wilder Loose Tubes type of progressive swing. It never falters and it is never anything less than an intriguing trip. The remarkable thing here is not that Secret Society is so adept at each distinctive form (18 good musicians can pull that off); it is that Argue, as a world class composer and arranger, uses them so cohesively and to the stimulating affect that he does. "Obsidian Flow" begins as a leisurely paced tune seemingly built for a rhythm section more than an orchestra. Argue's cinematic touch lets the piece build, telling a story as it unfolds into a full blown collective work for the larger group. Similarly, "Habeas Corpus," on paper, could sound like a straightforward Point A to Point B transition but the sound is both complex and nuanced at the same time, and it demands repeated listening. In this piece, Argue incorporates a classical crescendo and then an almost rock style electric guitar all in the midst of a solid jazz foundation. If it sounds like too much, it isn't. The magic in Argue's method is that each influence blends seamlessly into the next without disrupting the context of the piece. The faultless flow and blending of styles is present on every track of Infernal Machines. "Jacobin Club" flirts with a Middle Eastern subtext if only for a moment. "Redeye" floats along on gentle, if slightly hallucinogenic electric guitar riffs, not bringing in the orchestra until late. Throughout the collection there are brief and brilliant passages that can make you wonder if you heard what you suspect you did. This is an endlessly interesting collection and creates anticipation for a sophomore effort from Argue. -- All About Jazz, Karl Ackermann, March 15, 2010

Vancouver-born, Brooklyn-based Argue has expanded the big band vocabulary. A protégé of masters Bob Brookmeyer and Maria Schneider, he bridges the gaps between new classical, indie rock and jazz. Argue's studio debut lives up to his promise. From Jon Wikan's processed cajon opening "Phobos" to the propulsive, Radiohead-inspired middle section of "Transit," to a haunting piece dedicated to fellow McGill alumnus Maher Arar, it's clear this is no ordinary big band album. Argue's masterful use of mutes and woodwind doubles, his harmonic sophistication, attention to form, and a secret weapon in guitarist Sebastian Noelle, place Infernal Machines at the forefront of 21st century jazz. -- Exclaim!, David Ryshpan, December 2009

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Get in on the ground floor July 16, 2009

By Hank Schwab

Format:MP3 Music

Infernal Machines
Honestly, this album doesn't floor me. But for a 34-year-old composer, this is heady stuff. Think Frank Zappa without the silliness, Danny Elfman without the hyperactivity, Gil Evans updated for the new millennium.
Jazz needs this kick in the rear. It's not mothballed history, it's not superficial smooth Jazz, it's not hard-to-listen-to avant garde.
Four stars on a project this ambitious is, for me, a vote of confidence in what's to come. I've seen the band live, and they are already better than the CD, they are evolving that fast. In particular, I love the sax solo by Erica von Kleist on Obsidian Flow. Buy this now, so you can tell everyone else in a couple years, Yeah, I've been listening to the Secret Society all along.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars chillingly gorgeous and fantastically retro futuristic May 18, 2009

By Jamimicah

Format:MP3 Music

i am less adept at this then i would wish, so i am going to quote Newsweek. suffice it to say, this is a hauntingly gorgeous, beautifully and masterly spun web of sound. A+! *******"For a wholly original take on big band's past, present and future, look to Darcy James Argue, a 33-year-old Brooklynite who has composed a batch of manifestoes that draws on past legacies, and adds a little postpunk energy to boot. A onetime student of big-band visionary Bob Brookmeyer, Argue himself seems a natural product of an era in which genres can be shuffled with ease on iPod playlists. Talking with him, you go from discussing obscure Italian serialist composers to indie bands like TV on the Radio. The composer calls his music "steampunk big band," a reference to the niche art movement that fantasizes about modern tech innovations existing in the steam-powered era. That range is reflected--and, more important, is made frictionless--on Argue's debut record, "Infernal Machines." Argue's tunes can command your attention anywhere--no small feat in our media-saturated world. He and his 18-piece Secret Society band pull off the trick by pairing electro-influenced rhythms with fuzzed-out guitars, fearsome horns and chamber-music voicings in the woodwinds. For all this panstylistic erudition, though, Argue's music still swings hard whenever it wants. "Transit" explodes with an elaborate fire that recalls Mingus's "Let My Children Hear Music." The song "Jacobin Club," named after Robespierre's merry band, slinks with the sly wit of "Such Sweet Thunder"-era Ellington, proving Argue is no enemy of history. Listen on headphones, and you can hear a lot of rocklike production layering.... Two thirds through "Habeas Corpus (for Maher Arar)"-- a civil-rights ode that's timely in light of the Obama administration's release of Bush-era "torture memos"--the production supports its trombones, stabbing like sirens, with a guitar that chugs ominously low in the mix.

Argue is one of a handful of musical free-thinkers who have found a home on New Amsterdam Records, an upstart label that has been releasing one quality disc after another since its founding. Built around old traditions (mostly classical, and now jazz), each New Amsterdam record also reaches out to the beat-focused worlds of other contemporary music. This is not a condescension to the market, but a reflection of the artists' own desire to knock down genre boundaries. These are albums, says Judd Greenstein, one of the label's cofounders, specifically produced to sound good on an MP3 player during your commute.

Just as Argue brings non-jazz elements to bear in his music, "Now," from Greenstein's NOW Ensemble, imports a catchy inflection to classical forms. One Greenstein composition on that release is titled "Sing Along"--a command that doesn't apply all that frequently to contemporary chamber music. On the whole, New Amsterdam is making a nice little tradition out of breaking tradition. The real question is whether its music will find its way into the hands of hungry young performers in ensembles outside the metropolises. Perhaps local high-school music directors should strike a deal with their charges. Yes, you still have to wear the big-band uniforms or those god-awful tuxes, but with those outfits comes a copy of "Infernal Machines" or "Now." Striking a balance between the old and the new has rarely sounded this good". Read more ›

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Band Jazz at Its Finest June 3, 2009

By namae

Format:MP3 Music

Expanding the work of forebears Bob Brookmeyer, Maria Schneider and John Hollenbeck, Darcy James Argue has put together a program of works for the big band that go beyond Jazz. In pieces such as Habeas Corpus, we find the influence of Steve Reich along side rock beats as well as the solo-oriented improvisation associated with Jazz. More than just a grab bag of genres, however, Darcy's music has found a voice of its own. Do yourself a favor and buy this recording, it is just a taste of what is to come from this rising star.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No Longer a Secret January 2, 2010

By Scott Williams

Format:Audio CD

Overview:

Darcy James Argue has made one of the most impressive debuts in recent jazz history. The "secret society" is a jazz big band consisting of 18 members (Erica vonKleist, Sam Sadigursky, Rob Wilkerson, Mark Small, Josh Sinton, Seneca Black, Laurie Frink, Tom Goehring, Nadje Noordhuis, Ingrid Jensen, Mike Fahie, James Hirschfeld, Ryan Keberle, Jennifer Wharton, Sabastian Noelle, Mike Holober, Matt Clohesy, and Jon Wikan). While "Infernal Machines" is first and foremost a jazz album, Argue incorporates elements of rock and electronica to give the CD a ultra modern sound. At times it almost sounds like Pink Floyd. Infernal Machines is perhaps the best integration with electric guitar and a jazz orchestra that I've ever heard. Here Argue is not trying to fit the electric guitar into the jazz orchestra he crafted songs that make the jazz orchestra embellish what can be done with the electric guitar. The use of drums and guitar feedback is simply astonishing. Each song on the CD is five-star and is filled with lots of clever parts. Each song is unique and endearing in its own way, yet the album flows together beautifully as a whole.

Song Highlights:

Phobos: This song is named after the doomed moon of Mars, Phobos. The echoing drums that open this song and the album do a great job of setting the mood. Next, a sad melody of interwoven horns is combined with some subtle guitar feedback. After that the mood swells and a single note guitar line with slight distortion sets in. Around the 9 minute mark the song sounds like it is winding down, and then the electric guitar rips in again. What a start to the CD.

Redeye: Redeye showcases guitarist Sebastian Noelle.... Noelle combines feedback, sound effects, and noodling guitar lines to create a dreamy, fuzzy headed, sonic exploration. While the liner notes indicate the song is about how you feel when you are over tired, it could just easily be a soundscape of the red eye of Jupiter. This tune is really out there.

Transit: This song features the trumpet of Ingrid Jensen. While Jensen's playing is remarkable what is really amazing about this tune is the driving pulse of this tune. The combination of the constantly pulsing and pushing drums and killer guitar/horn rhythm line make the song a hybrid jazz and rock tune. The tune reminds me a bit of Black Sabbath's instrumental piece, "the Straightener" from vol. 4.

Jacobin Club: This song has a mysterious, noirish, early 20th century mood to it. The main melody features intertwining airy horn lines, with a descending bass line. This is one of the more traditional arrangements on the CD.

This CD gets my highest recommendation. I can't wait to see what comes next from Darcy James Argue. Read more ›

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most fresh music in my late research of .... ! August 19, 2010

By lingua fabio

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Infernal machine is one of the most fresh , intelligent and full of taste and invention music in my last months music research ....
The music is so free in forms , really well written and played , new in few words . I strongly reccomend it to everyone if you are looking something of new for your ears . I'm waiting for a new one ...... hope as soon as possibile !