by LORRAINE CARPENTER

After a few years of false starts, complete with line-up kerfuffles and discarded band names (Cooper Black among them), Plaza Musique announced their presence on the scene last September by circulating a one-song CD, “Coeur de Cuir,” soon followed by “Brownies and Wine” on MySpace, not to mention a handful of live performances. The tunes combine the delicate vocals and melodic maneuvering of classic French pop, the swagger of ’70s glam rock and a fair share of modern eccentricity. Harpsichord break? Why not?

“We put out the song to test the waters,” says keyboardist and co-songwriter Dominique Ethier. “It certainly encapsulates a lot of what we like to listen to—Eurovision-type bubblegum, chamber pop etc., with slightly unusual instruments. But the album came out a little darker than we expected.”

Ethier and his brother Guillaume (drums, synths), Maude Robillard (vocals), Yannis Triantafyllou (bass) and Greg Paquet (guitar), formerly of the Stills, enlisted Echo Kitty singer Xavier Paradis to produce said album, L’Amour et l’Occident, due in March.

“We were about ready to mix, and we still hadn’t found the right person to help us. I remember asking the gods to send us our own Tony Visconti. Maude mentioned Xavier’s name and it dawned on us that he was probably the best match possible. We’d known him for some time, and truly felt he was the one. He’s one of the most musical people we know. He sees music like we do, as shapes and perfumes and whatnot. Being the pop encyclopedia that he is, he knew where we were coming from. That felt good.”

And it’s not just local music scenesters supporting Plaza Musique. After sending him a few of their songs last winter, the band won praise from French pop maverick Bertrand Burgalat, producer of Air, April March and others, solo artist and founder of the Tricatel label. Not bad for a number-one fan.

“We were humbled beyond words that he would love our songs and be curious about us,” says Ethier, anxious to meet the man in Paris this spring. “He’s looming large in our family, to say the least.”