Review - Big Backyard “Midem
1999” Sampler
The
Big Backyard is a radio program famous the world over for bringing
Australian music to people who would not otherwise even know where Australia
is! Not only is the show broadcast to millions of listeners every week, but the
initiatives taken by BBY include putting together sampler CDs of unknown and
up-and-coming acts. These compilations are then taken to international swap-meets
where the industry’s big wigs can feast their ears on the best the world has to
offer. Midem, one of the rare names in the corporate world that is not an
anacronym, is one of these gatherings whose venue changes from year to year and
BBY has once again brought together acts from Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and
Perth on their new “The Midem Cannes 1999
sampler”.
The Midem 99 CD spans not-quite every current
music style in the country today but certainly has its fair share of where we’re
at. Unfortunately, this particular collection doesn’t have that much to offer the
world. Quincy Mclean and the Smooth Bastards’ Cannon Bawl Man opens the account very strongly with a meld of The Cruel
Sea/Beasts of Bourbon/early Birthday Party/Dave Graney in a
fast-paced pub blues/rock rough-diamond, and Eskimo Joe’s Sweater Song rounds out the sampler
with the high-rotation-to-the-point-of-annoyance Triple J favourite from last year
which is apparently not a good example of their work.
In amongst the other tunes you get examples
of Euro adult-pop (Hughette Raman formerly Shiver and then simply Hughette),
experimental/dance electronica (CUS - not typical of what
normally comes out of Sydney’s west), and the ultimate in contrived
programmed-rock (The Hamiltons - the lowest ebb of this sampler). Other
standouts include David Frangiosa’s The Jaynes/Googoodolls/Matchbox
20 power alterna-ballad and Creature Seeds’ early 80s Gary
Numan/Pseudo Echo/
Mi Sex offering.
There are much better bands and songs in the
pubs of Australia’s metropoli at the moment, but making them aware of this
fantastic initiative so that the rest of the world can learn that there’s more
to our music than silverchair is a feat in itself. Kudos to BBY for their
ongoing support of an industry desperately in need of it, but better selection
criteria needs to be applied.