Music That Makes You Think, "Ah, Young Love..."

Estelle and Ido

The internet is making everyone into this one tiny community, and a lot of times you'll hear some music and get totally into it long before you realize that the artists who made it have a $10 mic and a computer to work with and that's about all. Such was the case when I heard Elephant Parade for the second or third time and thought, "Oh yeah, I love these guys," even though they're unsigned and haven't finished their first EP yet. Word travels, I guess, and good words travel quick.

Listen to Elephant Parade on our compilation.

W & A: Who's in the group?

Estelle and Ido: We both write the songs, play guitars, keyboard, and sing. Sometimes we use the "shaker."

How did you guys come to play music together?

Estelle: About a month after Ido and I met he went back home to Israel for a couple of weeks. I wrote a song on my new guitar that I was learning to play called "for you." I sent him the mp3 and he said he loved it and when he got back asked me if I wanted to play music with him. I said "yes."

Ido: Estelle was the singer and songwriter for the incredible indie-pop band, "Brittle Stars". I heard their stuff and a new recording she made in her bedroom and I knew we had to make music together. At the time I was rehearsing with my cliché of a New York rock band and meeting Estelle made me realize what music I really wanted to make.

Estelle: After "Brittle Stars" broke up and I moved to New York, I missed playing and Ido turned out to be the perfect person to play with. He's super proactive which is a nice balance to my laziness and he's also supportive and enthusiastic which makes me less shy and more comfortable.

Ido: I am talented too.

What prompts you to write a song, any certain kinds of experiences that usually spark them?

Ido: I think writing a song is like eating cereal. What prompts you to eat cereal? You're hungry.

Did the melody "riding in your car" actually come to you while in a car? Because it totally sounds like a long, mellow drive down an empty street somewhere.

Estelle: It actually happened when we snuck into a piano room at NYU one day. It was quiet and the piano sounded so pretty. I played those two chords and Ido started singing: "I like riding in your car."

Ido: Sometimes, the longest, mellowest drives happen in a small room with someone you love.

Tell me about your forthcoming "Bedroom Recordings." What's it like, when do you expect it ready, and how will it circulate?

Ido: "Bedroom recordings" will be our first EP. We are recording in my bedroom in Brooklyn using a tiny $10 mic that's intended for webchats and a laptop with garageband. Recording takes a long time with this equipment; it's almost impossible to sing an entire song to the mic without popping or puffing into it a few times and you really need to put your mouth close because the range is miniscule. There's also no AC in the room and when we record we have to shut the fan off. These conditions, along with the fact that I am a bit anal, made Estelle decide she's going to leave the arranging and mixing and all that stuff for me.

How does living in New York find its way into your music? Do you think you'd write differently if you lived in, say, the Midwest?

Estelle: I'm not sure it does find its way. I guess "Friday Night" sort of reminds me of a New York night.

Ido: I think the tiny rooms and apartments that characterize living in here definitely have an influence over our music. I live in a big industrial loft but my room is tiny, dim, warm and orange. If I lived in a glass house, I'm sure it would sound different.

What would you like to be doing with Elephant Parade a year from now?

Estelle: I would like to tour Europe.

Ido: We have this dream of playing in this beautiful coffee shop and music store called "Sound Fix" in Brooklyn. But they only let bands that are on labels play there. Now is that fair?

[added Sept. 9:] My wish of playing in Fix Cafe was granted last night when we were invited to play there this Tuesday for a Katrina benefit. Funny how things work out like that. I guess I need to come up with a different wish now.

Favorite part of the process: writing, recording, performing?

Estelle: Writing.

Ido: I am currently in love with recording. There is absolutely nothing like working on a single tone of a single instrument for eight hours only to realize it sounds much better without any modification. And how about checking your recording on different sets of speakers? And realizing your mixing is all wrong? Umm Umm.

Music/recordings youre into or influenced by currently?

Estelle: I like Opal, ELO, Francoise Hardy and Papas Fritas.

Ido: I am always into Neil Young and Will Oldham and Johnny Cash and early Beck. I listened to "One Foot in the Grave" again recently and it blew my mind. Also, I just heard the new holopaw album and I loved it.

What's on the horizon? Tour plans, collaborations, etc.

Ido: We are planning to complete "Bedroom Recordings" next month, find a label and see where it takes us. Nothing is planned yet. We also have the amazing music video director, Oren Shai (www.rockingoren.com), working on our first music video for "Friday Night".