Customer Reviews

Beyond the Java Sea (Reis)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Considered by many to be the best album to emerge from the Chapel Hill music scene, "Beyond the Java Sea," first released in 1991, has been criminally neglected compared to works by some the area's more well-known bands (such as Ben Folds Five, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Archers of Loaf, Superchunk, and others). It's a brilliant album by any standard, with soaring Pixies-like guitar riffs, thrilling vocals and harmonies, eccentric yet intelligent lyrics, and a creative musical energy that underscores the considerable and diverse talents of it's musicians. Sadly, Metal Flake Mother broke up shortly after this first album was released, all the more puzzling considering that fan and music-industry interest in the band was peaking at the time. As a result, "Java Sea" never received much exposure, and founding member Jim Mathus went on to form the entirely different sounding Squirrel Nut Zippers.

Nevertheless, the album is a stunning collection of confident, innovative songs that grow richer with repeated listening. Some standouts include "Wingtip Lizards," a Beatles-meets-surf guitar pop gem, the magnificent piano ballad "Open a Vase," and the grandiose yet wistful "Dance with Nails." There is enough stylistic diversity on the album to keep it lively and interesting from the opening Pixies-inspired "Tongue Long" to the closing torch ballad "Safer." For completeness, the CD reissue tacks on the band's earlier, and rather inferior, "Deem-On" 7-inch single.

If you're looking for a Squirrel Nut Zippers soundalike, then this is not it. But this recording is completely awe inspiring. The vocals are almost operatic and wonderfully bold! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this CD!! It's terrible that the exposure this CD gets is due to the S.N.Z.'s (especially because the songs on this CD are far better than any "reused" songs the S.N.Z.'s will ever put out). REMEMBER Jim Mathus played Drums with Metal Flake Mother. He didn't write these songs. He can only wish he had.

despite having a fairly ridiculous band name/album title, Metal Flake Mother's one and only full-length album is a treat for those who like weird pop songs with hooks and a slightly quirky and creepy edge. the music is full of unconventional melodies and creative arrangements; utilizing a surf guitar sound...full of that "round" rockabilly tone and dripping with reverb. in listening to this great cd, it becomes apparent that perhaps Metal Flake Mother was influenced by Pixies in both their guitar sound and their songwriting approach. and it works wonders, becasue i've heard alot of bands that try to ape the Pixies style; but Metal Flake Mother pulls it off by adding plenty of their own personality and elements that make them a band on their own. and the singer's vocals are great...sort of like a more glammed up Morrissey. they are flamboyant, tuneful, but never over the top; aways staying to the respectful range of the song. Beyond the Java Sea is a record that i have grown intimate with over the years; first discovering the cassette in a bargain bin many many years ago and wearing it out with repeated listens. and now finally being able to listen to it on cd...with some tasty bonus tracks tacked on, as well. discover for yourself what all the fuss is about...look past the band name, album title, and the dreadful cover art, and discover a secret masterpiece, much overlooked and underheard.

The incredibly unpleasant lead guitarist of Metal Flake Mother, lived next door in one of 9 apartment rooms above a Chapel Hill / Carrboro restaurant in 1992, practicing the same damn riff over and over and over for nearly a year! All I and other bleary-eyed residents would hear blasting day and night was TUM TUM TUM TUCKA tum tum tum tucka TUM TUM TUM TUCKA tum tum tum. So I was surprised as hell when I heard the album, because it's actually damn good! Tight rhythms and weird vocals paint darkly amusing tales. They still played locally that year, then broke up. Then, he tried to take up alto sax - echh! I moved. Funny, members of Flat Duo Jets, The Bad Checks, Archers of Loaf, Little Kings, Crazy Dave, and probably others lived up there between '87 and '94.

I've been listening to this album since its initial release. It's amazingly musical and creative. Metal Flake Mother were a great live band too. I can't believe how talented they were. Records like this one are few and far between-- buy this for your friends and watch their jaws drop. It's almost comical how superior MFM were to just about every American band of their time.

Ask any hipster about his all-time favorite bands, and you are certain to get a response including at least one brilliant, imploded group that never transcended local or regional prominence. Why this predictable response? Well, 1) because all hipsters know that the most interesting rock n'roll innovations happen in the clubs, "under the radar" of major labels, and 2) a band's relative obscurity allows for the kind of personal investment and connectedness --even a sense of ownership -- that music mavens value. MFM will (and should) be on the favorites list of any hipster who lived in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill in the late 80s - early 90s. MFM "belongs" to these folks. So why should others -- who may not be similarly intoxicated by nostalgia -- pay attention to MFM, a decade later? Because MFM still sounds fresh, resistant to the kind of categorization/labeling so prevalent on this and other sites ("others who purchased _____ recommend: The Strokes"), and CHALLENGING. Some reviewers here have noted that MFM's lone album still makes its way to their turntable/CD player on a regular basis. (Calling all fellow Seattlelites: anyone still listen regularly to their Green River albums? Yeah, they sound dated.) A challenging album such as "Java Sea" encourages return visits, and truthfully must be revisited to be appreciated for its staying power and relevance. Finally, it should be noted that few of those brillant, "obscure" bands leave behind a masterwork. Thanks to MFM for being a beloved exception.

I admit it, I bought this back in 1996 or 97 because I love Squirrel Nut Zippers.

Boy, was I surprised when it wasn't retro-type swing music! But I gave it a chance to be what it really was, and it's one of my favorite albums. Still is. The guitarist in this group is as unique as Les Claypool is on the bass. Half the lyrics don't make much sense, but the music is pop-punk enough that it's just fun to sing along anyway. It's fabulous driving music - and I should know, I did quite a bit of driving while listening to this album!!

There is not much I can add to what has already been said about this amazing album. The sound is inspired by surf, Tom Waits, Punk and possibly the Pixies (but the Pixies had a twisted surf sound, to which they added their own spin). Wherever the influence for this sound came from Ben, Jim, Quince and Randy executed it superbly.

Live, the group could be frustrating, because in the hipness that was the band and the entire Chapel Hill scene at the time, Metal Flake Mother did not like to play a song live more than once, especially ones that had been released in a recorded form. And this often meant the band would perform half finished or barely practiced new songs. I remember several performances where Ben would say, "Here's a Metal Flake Mother cover," before launching into a track off this album. I still find that pretentious as hell, but I forgive such nonsense from a band that's this good.

The talent from both guitarists and the way they played off each other is undeniable in these tracks. It's almost as if Randy Ward's guitar work is another vocalist, because his parts are so inventive and weave throughout all of the songs.

Sadly, Randy passed away a few years ago from cancer. It would be nice to think that this album gets "discovered" and is suddenly a huge "those in-the-know" CD, moving it beyond the early-90s Chapel Hill hipster scene. Randy Ward was a seriously under-rated guitarist.

I always got the sense from these guys that they were not trying to be a part of any scene. They just were not capable of doing anything else and they were perfectionists. You can hear it in these songs. While much of the underground music scene was singing off key and playing sloppily, Metal Flake Mother was forging there own way with very intricate song structures, solid musicianship and (dare I say) uncanny pop sensibilities.

It may take some time to get into this album, but once you "get it," you'll be hooked.

My one complaint about this release is that the four bonus songs on this release are taken directly from the 7" vinyl they originally appeared, not from the tapes of those recordings, so they his and pop.

I love this record. Let me count the ways: innovative yet old-timey, original yet strangely familiar, great songwriting that is truly unique, a studio album that does NOT sound contrived, unpretentious, full-tilt fun... a delicious meal- soup to nuts.

This is a really bad pop-punk CD. It's especially disappointing in light of the fact that one of the members, Jim Mathus, is a leader of Squirrel Nut Zippers. Metal Flake Mother is nothing like SNZ and is in fact a bad imitation of most of the other pop punk from the early 1990s.