Here at Fumerie we love to pair fragrance with all kinds of things! We have had a lot of interesting prompts over the years, and we never shy away from the abstract. We’ve helped folks find fragrances to go with specific moods and life events, to embody and represent Dungeons & Dragons or other fictional characters, to be worn to specific concerts, and a great number of abstract concepts such as “smelling like a robot.” We are huge fans of the abstract nature of perfumery in both creation and exploration, and we celebrate particularly enthusiastically when abstract concepts are explored with great skill and surprising nuance.
In the past we’ve asked folks on our Instagram stories to make album recommendations which we then listen to in the shop and post fragrances that we think accompany the albums well or represent a vibe that works in balance with their musical and/or lyrical themes (only in our stories; sorry there is no backlog!). As we have been hosting Jasmin Saraï as our first-ever Maker’s Residency display, and since Dana El Masri’s creations are so intentionally inspired by music, we have been talking and thinking about these types of pairing more than normal and would like to give a permanent spot to a few of our couplings here on our blog for you all to enjoy! Below you will find one or two albums and the fragrances we have chosen to pair them with by each of us, respectively. We hope you’ll enjoy this playful exercise and encourage you to chime in with your own album & fragrance pairing in our comments!
Tracy’s Picks
picture by Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu • Baduizm B/W Serge Lutens • Daim Blond
I'm the first to admit that I arrived late to the brilliance of Erykah Badu. Once discovered, the album Baduizm was played on repeat and was an obvious choice for most any occasion. The entire vibe of the album is sultry, and her rhythms guide us through her fascinating streams of consciousness that are often tinged with humor. Her music is a salve that serenades us with her soulful, lush, smooth sounds. She honors the rhythm without rushing and the beats make it impossible to stand still.
The pairing of Daim Blond with Baduizm was an automatic choice with no hesitation. The moment this scent hits the skin, I find myself breaking into a soft smile and reveling in the pleasure of it's gorgeous embrace. Like Baduizm, Daim Blond is lush, sultry and smooth. The fragrance introduces leather in a unique manner focusing on spice, musk and a creaminess with a touch of apricot. There is an aura to this scent that weaves perfectly with the seductive sounds of the scintillating voice of Erykah Badu.
*Serge Lutens is not sold by Fumerie, nor is Daim Blond
photo by Radiohead
Radiohead • A Moon Shaped Pool B/W Meo Fusciuni • L’Oblio
The band Radiohead has always been one of my favorites. They are musically masterful in both intelligence and skill. When the album A Moon Shaped Pool was released, I was filled with anticipation and excitement. Upon first listen, I admit that I was somewhat apprehensive about the use of orchestration throughout the album. Unlike some of their previous releases, I didn't listen to AMSP on repeat but instead gave myself space between plays to truly digest the experience. To my own surprise, this has become one of my favorite albums and never fails to affect me with it's haunting depth of emotion and vulnerability. This music is immersive and introspective with it's expansiveness and abandon. The soundscape is an existential escape from the pain of being human.
Perfumer Giuseppe Imprezzabile, captures his captivating fragrance L'Oblio with the quote "What if the good of man is forgetting instead of remembering?". L'Oblio is a reflection on the idea of oblivion and the balance of the intensity of a moment of joy and the relief of the release of letting go. Both L'Oblio and A Moon Shaped Pool evoke a place of internal wanderings and the stillness of sitting in those deep places of emotion. Whether listening to the album or wearing the fragrance, I am immediately brought to a place of contemplation and an awareness of an underlying sadness. The melancholy is embraced in that it is confirmation of being alive.
Michael’s Picks
Image By Portugal. The Man
Portugal. The Man • Evil Friends B/W Imaginary Authors • Bull’s Blood
Portugal. The Man’s album Evil Friends is a nuanced and extremely effective combination of bright pop sensibilities, psychedelic undertones, punk aesthetics, and biting (albeit duplicitous) lyricism. At any given time it is fun, catchy, gnarly, ethereal, and kinda mean. The textural masterstrokes provided by Danger Mouse’s production complete the larger concept at work within and make this album many folk’s favorite from the band. If you’re familiar with the new version of Bull’s Blood (or even just the first) this pairing is probably already making sense to you.
Bull’s Blood is often referred to as Imaginary Author’s ‘dirtiest’ fragrance, which is a short way of saying it incorporates beautifully bold scents to create a piece of scented art that celebrates a few universally accepted darlings of perfume intentionally co-mingled with ingredients that are only to the liking of some. Both Evil Friends and Bull’s Blood seamlessly incorporate elements many would advise against into an overall format that is hard to dislike, an expert-level approach to subversion that many attempt and few achieve.
Is it a coincidence that these two Portland staples fit so well together, or is there something about our city’s culture that translates often into its art? One thing I certainly see as thematic with a lot of Portland artwork is hard-won expert-level execution, and a celebration of the dirtier parts of a life well lived.
photo by Sammus
Sammus • Pieces in Space B/W Eris • Night Flower
Sammus is an incredible rapper who has a unique stylistic often referred to as “nerd-core” because of her references to things like video games and pop culture (especially after the album preceding this one, Another M, which is themed after Nintendo’s Metroid whose main character is the inspiration for her name). I do think this term is reductive and misses the depth of her skill; she also has a PhD and produces her own tracks. I think people are starting to figure out that nerd should be a badge of honor, as “nerds” often look deeply not only into their favorite pop culture fascinations, but most things- including themselves. Pieces in Space is a wildly self-exploratory album and it is a mood from start to finish, as Sammus’ lyrics and production work seamlessly to weave an experience that is somehow both mellow and intense. Picking apart the pieces of her reality and experiences, juxtaposed against broader realities of life, while inserting comedic relief and plenty of her infamous references she creates an album that is only comparable in skill, tone, or effectiveness to certain MF DOOM works.
Similar not only in that it is conceptualized by a scholarly mind capable of deep-cut references in creative director/ founder Barbara Herman, Night Flower accompanies the mood of Pieces in Space perfectly. Both works are challenging in the most rewarding ways, and use elements that are universal, old-school, known and loved, yet presented in a brand new and singular fashion. Night Flower is also somehow both mellow and intense- using contradictory notes like tuberose and suede to create a truly contemplative experience that really only has a peer in the deeply discontinued older version of Shalimar.
Lele’s Pick
photo by frou frou
Frou Frou • Details B/W Cuoium • Orto Parisi
When I first heard this album, it felt like suddenly remembering a dream I had forgotten. It’s romantic, rhythmic, and scattered, weaving together sweeping orchestral sounds with breathy vocals, and synth soundscapes. It mixes once contemporary electronica, with classically trained vocals and instrumentals. It’s both alluring and unnerving. I’m not immune to the resurgence of y2k trends, which inevitably inspired me to revisit media I had only foggy memories of. My updated perspective allowed me to better comprehend the bittersweet nature of this album, and appreciate it even more.
Alessandro Gualtieri’s creation Cuoium is the epitome of compelling contrast. Ambergris, leather, styrax, and patchouli sit opposite to the sweetness of vanilla, mandarin, and violet. Initially, these elements don’t quietly coalesce; they dramatically diverge, just to come back around and compliment each other. Cuoium is a fresh and unconventional composition of age-old materials. I feel the depth and complexity of Cuoium is comparable to Details, and although both could be considered polarizing for their unorthodox approach, for the same reason they are innovative and unforgettable.