Kandodo - Kandodo (CD, Vinyl LP)

Kandodo is Simon Price from The Heads. That fact alone would probably enable us to sell at least a dozen of these records even if everybody knew all it contained was a 20-second mash-up of fart noises, such is the loyalty of that band’s fanbase. Obviously that’s not what’s on it though. There’s a load of cosmic guitar and synth pieces which lead you drifting out into the smoky ether in an altogether different way to his more celebrated psych rocking.

I’m actually having a hard time coming up with anything that it specifically sounds like...it’s a mix of various things you’d think were disparate but it doesn’t feel like a “fusion”...the textures and moods are bringing to mind Expo 70 in places, but this is much more melodic and the pieces much shorter. There’s maybe even traces of Sun Araw or The Dreams in the pacing and detailing but again I feel like I’m being misleading because it doesn’t really sound like either of those either. Other things it doesn’t sound like but contains elements from include Neu!, Grouper and John Carpenter soundtracks.

It’s pretty astral throughout with gentle, slow melodic shapes repeating hypnotically for quite a soulful, organic, almost ambient trip full of synth and feedback drones and softly picked hi-gain guitars. While The Heads always seem concerned with the science of being loud, here he’s preoccupied with quietude and the finer details of the sound, the graininess of drawn-out distortion, the smoothness of synths and guitar twinkles, the tangible details of fret noise...the melodies move at a snail’s pace but it’s totally absorbing, involving music with a very human feel to it. Don’t expect The Heads but this is lovely.