Eleni Mandell : une femme qui s'en mêle

When we read your lyrics, one question immediately comes to mind. Are men really that awful, and disgusting ?
(rires.) Oh, they're good and bad. I've some very interesting characters that weren't exactly the most upstanding citizens. But very interesting and inspiring in their own way.

In the "Thrill" booklet you say that "no computers were used in the recording of this record"...
Well I think that it is sort of about being honest. I want my music to sound very real and organic, the way music was recorded in the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's and even in the 70's. And I don't think music need to be perfect. I think the problem with using computers a lot is that people will work on things too much to make them perfect, and then it looses life. I just think it should sound more organic. And I think tape sounds great and you have to be creative, it has to be more spontaneous. I like that.
there's one anecdote about the recording of PJ Harvey's last album, "Stories from the city, stories from the sea" : when Thom York came to record his duet with Polly Jean, he was completely lost because there was no Pro Tools at all in the studio...
The only thing that's good about recording on Pro Tools is that it's cheap. And for a lot of artists they can't afford tape because gets to be very expensive. I think 30 minutes of tape is 150 $. So for that, Pro Tools is good. But I prefer everything to be live and spontaneous and real as possible. I take my band on tour in the US and you have to know what you're doing to have a live show so you should be able to do that recording.

You said once that in your music you were able to change the end of the stories you live in your real life. Does that mean you feel happier in your music than in everyday life ?
I think my everyday life is more peaceful, maybe a little boring (rires.). So I definitely get to live out some dreams in my music, and I get to more adventurous in music than I am in real life I think. I'm a little bit shy in real life.

Music is for many artists a way to express things they have difficulties to say in another way. After 3 records do you still feel you have things to same things, or do you think there's a real evolution since the beginning of your making music ? For example "Dry" by PJ Harvey was very rough and the last record is more about love stories, well if one can say that about PJ Harvey
I do worry about that : what if I'm happy, and everything is great, have a house, have a car, children, what will I write about. But I've made 3 records and I'm gonna make another record I know. I feel really lucky to have done as much as I've done. So if that's it, that's fine. And I think by not thinking about it; I leave myself open to writing more even. I don't think I'd ever get tired of hearing a song about love relationship. So I think as long as your eyes are open and you're listening and paying attention to the world you'll have something to write about. But I definitely think I can say more in music. I often can't tell a person what I want to tell them so I write it in a song and then, if they're paying enough attention then they'll know. It's for them.

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