Simon Price, singer/guitarist of renowned Bristol band The Heads, is set to release his debut album as kandodo through Thrill Jockey on 11th June. Entitled, simply, kandodo, it was recorded solo by Price over a long period of time at home. Made with a fairly straightforward set-up – a few guitars, a keyboard or two, tambourine, drum pedal and a Walkman for field recordings – the album consists of a series of instrumentals that draw influence from kosmische music, Kraftwerk, Ennio Morricone, Spacemen 3 and The Stooges, amongst others.
Price grew up in Malawi and Zambia, and the project kandodo is named after a supermarket in Malawi where he used to shop in the 80s. As its title suggests, the influence of his years in Africa was, Price says, a key influence on this record. Were the album not instrumental, the label’s announcement runs, the lyrics would be "about animist religions, hyenas, sharks and dusty drives".
"kandodo is for Price an exploration of tones, chords, and textures that evoke a very particular emotional response, a sense of yearning," says the text accompanying the album release announcement. "These instrumental pieces are lyrical and evocative soundtracks with an elongated and elegant song structure."
Photo by Al Deane
