Voot Cha Index used to have a problem. They used to be called... um, Belefonte. Before playing a scheduled Good Records instore show last year, they were apparently approached by that other band (not Harry) that has an "a" instead of an "e" in its name, and were asked to promptly come up with something else to call themselves. We're not sure exactly how that interaction went down (does Belafonte have lawyers?), but at the end of the day they came up with Voot Cha Index. We're also not sure what the name means (and didn't think to like, ask them or something), but we like it. Even if it happens to be a little harder to say.
Mouthful of a name or not, this young band from Plano seems to have as much potential as any band in Dallas County these days, and the difference between them and some of the other not quite ready for prime time players around here is that you will actually like their songs enough to root for them. The first incarnation of Voot Cha Index got together back in November of 2004 (when the band members were in high school) and started recording some songs at home. Pretty typical. But after they recorded a few new songs over several months in the Spring of 2005, they decided to take a sample down to C.J. Davis at Good Records. Two weeks later, he called them to tell them how much he liked their CD, and invited them to play the in store show that prompted their name change. Anyone that has ever been in a Dallas high school band before: how would you have liked to play a Good Records show that fast? Anyway, Davis called them again a couple months after the show and invited them to record and release a 7" for his new record label Pancakes for Mattie (again, this seems to have happened pretty damn fast). As a result, they recently entered the studio with Polyphonic Spreer Mark Pirro and came out with "The Talking House," a single that will be released by Davis' label some time in the next couple of months.
The band's songs certainly have that Elephant 6 (especially Beulah) sound that seems to be popular amongst Dallasites these days, but you can also hear a distinct touch of Galaxie 500 and Mercury Rev in their music, which the band effectively utilizes in a balancing act between the reverby lo-fi charm of the former and the fully arranged psychedelic pop of the latter. Add a little bit of power pop and distorted guitars into the mix, and you've got a young band that could very easily develop into indie pop stars. Seriously. The mp3s below are sort of rough, and Voot Cha Index themselves are pretty young, which might make them seem a little too cute and immature upon first listen. But play these Mp3s a couple more times, and you probably won't be able to tell me that : 1) the songs aren't good on their own merits, or 2) that you can't hear the talent and potential these guys have. And since their songwriting has developed this far at such an early stage, you've got to believe that we will be hearing bigger and better things from them in the near future. In a city starved for good music, that is a pretty refreshing development.
