Eleni Mandell - Thrill (Reissue) (2004)

The specter of Tom Waits lurks all over the sexy, cabaret torch songs on Eleni Mandell's second full-length, Thrill. Featuring members of X and Idaho, this album twists and slinks from the dingy dive of relationships gone awry to the cool seats of a "1970 Red Chevelle" with a neo-noir ambiance drenched in sex and longing. Mandell's come-hither vocals sound most like PJ Harvey, and songs like "Pauline" could be right off of To Bring You My Love. The lilting "Closer to Him," though, is closer to Billie Holiday swooning through a lament to some lost guy. "Action Is Action" evokes voyeurism so well, that it seems that we, the listeners, are spying on Mandell through her bedroom window. Throughout Thrill, trombones, organs, accordions, and marimbas craft the tone which remains unique and consistent whether Mandell leads us through a dark, sweltering day in the life ("He Thinks He's in Love") or an upbeat south-of-the-border daydream ("Never Know the Party's Here"). This is driving music for a late night on Sunset Boulevard -- winding from the beach in Santa Monica past the Chateau Marmont, past the Roxy -- and wondering just how much desire fills the naked city.