Video premiere: Eleni Mandell, ‘What Love Can Do’

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eleni-mandell
Eleni Mandell

“What Love Can Do” is sweet tune wrapped up in brushes and piano, off Eleni Mandell‘s 10th album, “Dark Lights Up.” She produced this collection of songs about love and life with longtime collaborator Sheldon Gomberg, recorded them live at his Silver Lake studio in four days and released them via Yep Roc this past summer. The result carries a natural, honest and effortless swing, but love songs can be tricky when it comes to making videos. It’s tempting to lay on the cheese thick, because it’s delicious and tangy, but rather than overdose on love and happiness, Mandell decided to take a funny, slightly dark, but ever-so-charming approach. In her words: “I really wanted to make a video for it but, lyrically, it’s so earnest that it seemed like it would be overly corny and sentimental. Writer/director, Amy Barham, came up with the idea that these two characters kill off their sad selves in a dark & funny melodrama and I thought it was perfect and hilarious.” And the only thing sullied in the making was her dress.

||| Watch: “What Love Can Do”

||| Live: Eleni Mandell performs Feb. 10 at Bootleg Theater

||| Previously: “What Love Can Do,“Magic Summertime,“Artificial Fire”