SXSW 2009: Blue Giant burns, burns, burns

"So, who are you going to go see tonight?" are probably the nine words most frequently exchanged between friends and strangers and new acquaintances at SXSW. Usually my answer is either vague or fraught with pained indescision, but last night I had a plan, one involving Micachu at Emo's Annex and, later, Blue Giant at Club DeVille. Somehow, though, for all the new and unknown bands playing, Blue Giant was the one that people most puzzled over when I mentioned it-- which was both a relief and a surprise.

The name doesn't seem to say much about whatever kind of music might be involved, and more than a few people asked me if they were jolly like their green brethren. But in fact, Blue Giant is a Portland, Ore. super-ish group of sorts, fronted by Anita and Kevin Robinson of Viva Voce and supported on drums by The Swords' Evan Railton, The Golden Bears' Seth Lorinczi on bass and Chris Funk of The Decemberists on pedal steel, banjo and keyboard. Though they've been quite low-key about it, it's a really excellent lineup and the music they've made so far together has been completely befitting of it. "Target Heart" is my favorite, by far, and I don't seem to be alone: "This has been a great song for us this year," Kevin said before the band played it last night to a small but steadily growing crowd on the open patio. Clearly, this is no buzz band-- though they certainly deserved a bigger audience than they got last night, it was a nice reprieve to not have to push and shove and claw and wait in line to hear some exciting music.

Blue Giant plays moody, blazing, mostly straight-laced alt-country, the Robinsons trading off lead vocals and harmonizing to the hilt, with unexpected moments of wildness, like Kevin scraping his acoustic guitar across his mic stand as the band let loose during the set's last song. They played steady and strong, like their apparent namesake-- not a rejected canned vegetable spokesman, but an astronomical term for a type of short-lived, loosely bound collection of very bright young stars. Fitting. Their Target Heart EP is out now, and though they played three sets in Austin yesterday, I'm not sure about a tour (Funk will be on the road with the Decemberists through much of the summer) but here's hoping they keep burning on for a while.