TUNE IN: PARIS MUSICIANS

The Parisians
While the Libertines can be credited as the inspiration for the current French rock movement, the Parisians are its local pioneers. As William Ellard-Goldsmith from fellow band the Victorians explains it, “everything started with the Parisians. They met the Libertines and they said, ‘You guys have really cool songs and we’ll try to endorse you.’ FIORELLA VALDESOLO
myspace.com/parisians

The Victorians
The Victorians do not embody the definition of their name in any way whatsoever. “We started as a band called Cliché before the Victorians, and it was the same guys but with another singer,” explains William Ellard-Goldsmith, the bearded bassist and singer (three of the members share vocal duties). “But Cliché was just a bit too…well, cliché. Calling ourselves the Victorians was about taking a good English name. FV
myspace.com/victoriansband

Les Shades
Les Shades is a band at once reviled and revered. They are disliked by those who believe that the group of sharply-dressed men—scratch that, boys—are popular simply because they are so easy on the eyes. That sentiment is exemplified by a girl’s random posting on their MySpace page—“I don’t understand a word you guys say or write, but you sure are cute to look at.” FV
myspace.com/lesshades

BB Brunes
The threesome, each one a bit more sinewy than the next, may cut a foreboding figure in their signature skintight punk rock accoutrements, but a few moments chatting with them reveals a youthful timidity. “Gainsbourg gave me the courage to sing in French,” says singer Adrien Gallo slowly, taking care with each English word. “We prefer singing in French because it’s…our identity.” FV
myspace.com/bbbrunes

Brooklyn
It’s a fitting moniker for a band—made up of Ellis, softly pensive bassist Jane Lane (the lone female), doe-eyed and lanky-limbed drummer Leo Colson, and guitarist DB, whose quietly confident demeanor hints at the fact that he is older and more experienced than his bandmates—whose guitar-driven sound and earnest vocals would be right at home there. FV
myspace.com/aboutbrooklyn

Emily Loizeau
Much like pet owners are sometimes said to bear a resemblance to their beloved animals, so can a musician to her music. Emily Loizeau’s songs are characterized by a childlike whimsy, and meeting her in person on a sunny afternoon in the Place de la Republique, I have that same sense. FV
myspace.com/emilyloizeau

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EAU DE PARIS: FRAGRANCE SHOPS
The word perfume is derived from the Latin phrase per fume, translated as through smoke—a particularly fitting origin considering that when visiting France, the modern epicenter for fragrance, you have to peel away a smoke screen of Galuoises to catch a whiff of anything. FV

Frederic Malle’s Editions de Parfums
21 Rue du Mont Thabor, 75001
Malle, the mad genius of niche perfume, spent two years working on his exquisite Carnal Flower fragrance.

Caron
34 Av Montaigne, 75008
If the oversize gold-encrusted perfume fountains don’t blow your mind, the powerful scent of the androgynous cult classic Tabac Blond will.

L’artisan Parfumeur Grande Boutique
2 Rue L’amirale de Coligny, 75001
With its entire line of signature scents, new organic skincare products, and a public salon devoted to perfume classes, this L’Artisan Parfumeur location is grand indeed.

CRASH HERE: KUBE HOTEL
On occasion, there’s something to be said for thinking inside the box. Case in point: The Kube Hotel. At the Kube, located in Paris’s 18th, everything is square, from the tables to the showers to even, sometimes, the food. The black-lit, shag-covered lobby and Grey Goose Ice Kube bar draw cocktail-seeking revelers to a neighborhood that doesn’t traditionally get a lot of foot traffic. For a city whose lodging is often uniformly quaint and romantic, the Kube’s staunch modernism––with design and amenities like flat screen computers that double as TVs ––is a welcome change. It’s the kind of place where Paris would be happy in Paris.
kubehotel.com

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