The Smell Of Incense: Discography 1994 - 2007

 

The Smell Of Incense are a Norwegian psych band with roots in the mid eighties and a long, sordid

history that includes connections to such hardcore and obscure Scandinavian D.I.Y. acts as THE NEW INCREDIBLE HEADCLEANERS, FAMLENDE FORSØK, YM-STAMMEN, and DØVE MUNKER. Smell have existed as a fluid and sporadic lineup for years, issuing just three studio albums along a handful of singles and collaborations in since 1986.
                

Drawing their name from the 60’s LSD induced psychedelic single “Smell Of Incense” by The

West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Smell Of Incense, a psychedelic progressive band, float aimlessly down that same lysergic laced stream, where their music blossoms and ebbs with warm hypnotic musical meanderings and vocal harmonies, in a fashion that implies that they have something extremely important to bely, that the essence of their presentation is one of a guru dispensing life’s keys … though perhaps from a life lived under the influence, where every step, without a guiding hand could be a perilous adventure.
                           

Smell of Incense are a Norwegian music collective with sketchy roots back to somewhere around the mid-eighties; with a handful of their members going back even further to the seventies in the form of a

minor new-wave act known as the New Incredible Headcleaners, and even earlier as an even lesser- known punk act called the Impotents. It seems a fair number of Smell’s current lineup date all the way back to the Impotents, and most of them have been together since at least 1986. Despite the long history, the band have only released a total of only three proper full-length albums in that time, and apparently have appeared live only on very rare occasions over the past ten years or so. So I guess you would call this a part-time studio band.
              

The band's debut album, the now out-of-print 'All Mimsy Were the Borogoves' consisted mostly of a

number of little-known as well as irreverent covers, while their later releases focused more on original material blending pop, folk, trip-hop and heavy psych for a unique sound reflecting both the psychedelic traditional and experimentation present in much of modern Scandinavian progressive music. Smell's albums were all limited-release issues, and most are difficult or impossible to find today except from the occasional on-line reseller. The band deserves a place in ProgArchives for their unique and interesting history, not to mention for their highly creative and experimental psych-folk sound.
                 

                      
Smell of Incense don’t really do anything original in their music, particularly if you only consider musical styles or innovative arrangements. But there are few bands that so completely embrace their musical heritage, or integrate it so wholly into their own sound. The Tangent is one of those bands; some say Marillion was another. Musically I wouldn’t put these guys into the same category as either of those two. But for a noteworthy commitment to immersion in what they do I would lift up Smell of Incense as a group whose music is well worth investing a bit of your time in.
               

THE SMELL OF INCENSE - ALL MIMSY WERE THE BOROGOVES 1994

              

Obviously this is a sixties psych-inspired album (a sixties psych-inspired band for that matter) as evidenced by their name, the album title (taken from the Jabberwocky poem in Lewis Carroll’s

‘Through the Looking-Glass’), and the record’s artwork. Other not-so-subtle clues (if you need them) are the heavy use of sitar and an early Pink Floyd cover. That being established, this is (like their other full-length album ‘Through the Gates of Deeper Slumber’) a total blast to listen to. The band clearly had fun making it, and it shows in the energy applied to every track. Unlike their follow-on this album includes a handful of covers, but like their second release it also houses some literary tribute pieces that tend to reveal the group’s non-musical influences, as well as the contents of their bookshelves.
                     

This is pure Psychedelia. "Alice" refers to "Alice In Wonderland" of course. It's a little silly to open but when the main melody comes in with drums, bass, organ and guitar it's all forgotten. Male vocals

except for some brief female ones on the chorus. The guitar is angular before 5 1/2 minutes as organ plays on. Great way to end it. "Faerie Emerald" is laid back with dual vocals and acoustic guitar. I like when the sound gets fuller, especially the electric guitar and female vocals. Great sound 3 1/2 minutes in when the organ arrives. I like this better than the opening track. "Fancy" is a KINKS cover. It opens with the birds chirping away as sitar and percussion come in. The birds stop 1 1/2 minutes in as the sound gets fuller. Dual vocals after 2 minutes. This is so trippy for the rest of 7 plus minutes.  Just love it !
                         

                    
"Christopher's Journey" has this beat as male vocals come in. Female vocals join in with a fuller sound. A nice acoustic guitar / bass section 2 1/2 minutes in. Electric guitar and organ take over. Dual vocals

return. Original melody follows. "(The Smell Of) Intersteller Overdrive" is a PINK FLOYD cover of course. Bass and organ lead the way early before electric guitar and drums join in. A psychedelic calm before 2 minutes before it kicks back in around 4 minutes with bass, drums and a spacey background. Nice. Cello 5 1/2 minutes in. Amazing sound here that goes on and on. "Witch's Hat" is a THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND cover. Female vocals and a catchy melody on this one. I like the electric guitar 2 1/2 minutes in. "Shrine" is actually a Peter Hammill poem that they put music to. A gong opens the proceedings as male vocals and a full sound arrive. It picks up a minute in. Female vocals join in as the tempo continues to shift. It ends with a sample (music) of the Alice In Wonderland movie.

The Smell Of Incense – All Mimsy Were The Borogoves
Label: Colours  – COSCD 018
Format: CD, Album, digipak
Country: Norway
Released: 1994
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock

TRACKS

              

01. No Title    0:20
02. Alice    6:37
03. Faerie Emerald    9:37
04. Fancy    5:43
05. Christopher's Journey    4:23
06. (The Smell Of) Interstellar Overdrive    11:43
07. Witch's Hat    4:57
08. Shrine    9:03
09. No Title    0:39

LINE - UP

Dave Jørgensen / lead vocals, lead, glissando & rhythm guitars, sitar, tambura
Jørn Raknes / lead & rhythm guitars, e-bow, mandolin, bass, harmony vocals
SigneLine Lundstrom / lead & harmony vocals, viola,
Hans Olav Sandåker / bass, organ, Mellotron, electric piano
Kool Kat / drums, Chinese gong

WITH:

Hans Petter Christensen / alto & tenor saxes
Philippa Clark / cello
Tom Rudi Torjussen / djembe
Øyvind Bjørnsen / harmony vocals
Dr. Brt Blaster / synth

NOTES

Tracks 1 & 9 are not mentioned on the release. These track lengths are the actual play length. The rest are from the digi-pak cover. Please note the times for 'Faerie Emerald' and 'Fancy' are switched (i.e. the latter is 9:37 and the former 5:43), but the timings above reflect what is on the digi-pak itself.
Recorded now and then Nov 92 - July 93.
Mixed July - Aug 93.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 130 MB
Flac  Size: 373 MB

THE SMELL OF INCENSE - THROUGH THE GATES OF DEEPER SLUMBER 1997

                 

This is an album that I count among my favorite discoveries of the past year or so, and a band that is

rather mysterious and intriguing in their relative obscurity. This is their second album, issued like their latest on the German September Gurls label, and both are rather hard to find. The band’s main inspirations have clear roots in both psychedelia and fantasy literature as evidenced right away in the lengthy opening song, “A Floral Treasury”. This is a twenty- five minute psych and trance epic of five parts, with the three middle stanzas each based on one of three literary meadow fairies invented by the reclusive pre-Raphaelite British artist the late Cicely Mary Barker.
               

I can’t say for sure where these guys belong as far as their overall musical style, but on this album they manage to wander effortlessly between middle-eastern, British folk, psychedelic trance and flower- power hippy sounds. The whole thing is a blast to listen to, and one can’t help but come away feeling better about life in general. The epic 25 minutes track has a lot of sitar and oriental flavors and lyrics

about fairies and fairy tales. The hypnotic rhythm and the bass line playing on a major chord have a relation with Krautrock. This is clearer in the psychedelic part after the 10th minute, subtitled "The Song Of The Nightsmade Fairy". Here the song changes drastically. No more sitar and oriental flavors. Electronic drums and keyboards make it closer to Ozric Tentacles or some instrumental pieces of Porcupine Tree. When "Bumble B" sings we are in a sort of dark chill-out. It's like 30 years have passed between part 1 and 2 and this. Part 4 is different again. A section of progressive electronic with a lot of keyboards to bring the 70s back. It's "The Song Of The Queen Of The Meadows Fairy". This part is "broken" by an interlude made with sound from a carnival, then there's another space-rock moment. The epilogue fades out and it's done.

The Smell Of Incense – Through The Gates Of Deeper Slumber
Label: September Gurls – SGCD15
Format: CD, Album
Country: Germany
Released: 1997
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock

TRACKS

                

01. A Floral Treasure    25:08
1a. Overture    2:32
1b. The Song Of The Winter Aconite Fairy    9:27
1c. The Song Of The Nightshade Fairy    7:25
1d. The Song Of The Meadow Fairy    3:48
1e. Epilogue    1:53
02. Columbine Confused    5:37
03. A Word In Season    5:23
04. From The Third Hemisphere    13:36
4a. Atlantis    2:49
4b. Kraken    2:54
4c. Slumber    4:45
4d. Kraken (Slight Return)    3:06

LINE - UP

          

Dave Jørgensen / lead vocals, lead, glissando, rhythm & Classical guitars, sitar, tambura, cornet
Jørn Raknes / lead & backing vocals, lead & rhythm guitars, e-bow, baglama, bass
SigneLine Lundstrom / lead & backing vocals, electric violin & viola
Hans Olav Sandåker / bass, organ, Mellotron, backing vocals
Kool Kat / drums

WITH:

Hans Petter Christensen / drum machine, synthesizers, tape
Vidar Ersfjord / Mellotron, Hammond, Fender Rhodes, harmonium, synthesizer, harpsichord
Dr. Brt Blaster / synthesizer
Einar Krafft Myhren / soprano & tenor saxophones
Tom Rudi Torjussen / tabla, djembe, percussion
Bjørn Fløydstad / backing vocals, producer
Ida / bird flute
Joakim / bird flute
Ty / bird flute

MP3 @ 320 Size: 121 MB
Flac  Size: 344 MB

THE SMELL OF INCENSE - OF ULLAGES AND DOTTLES 2007

                   

This is The Smell Of Incense's third studio album but it's been ten years since their last one which

was called "Through The Gates Of Deeper Slumber" which was a masterpiece. "Bumbles And Dragons" really surprised me the first time I heard it with the opening distorted guitar and guitar solo that follows. So unlike this band. Vocals and the main melody arrive a minute in. Some aggressive guitar continues to come and go. It turns light before 4 minutes. "Laughing Songs" is pleasant enough and it does have this Folk attitude to it. It ends with samples and experimental stuff. "Where Forlorn

Sunsets Flare And Fade" opens with what sounds like Spanish guitar and bass. Marching style drums join in then vocals. Sitar follows. A calm with flute and vocals after 3 1/2 minutes. Themes are repeated.Vocal melodies and mellotron before 8 1/2 minutes followed by flute. "Song" opens with birds singing, in fact I don't think they really leave this song. Light drums, flute and vocals lead the way. This is the song you put on when you want to frolic and prance around in the backyard with your tights on (haha).

The Smell Of Incense – Of Ullages And Dottles
Label: September Gurls – SGCD 34
Format: CD, Album
Country :Germany
Released: 2007
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock

TRACKS

                   

01. Bumbles And Dragons   4:08
Lyrics By – Cicely Mary Barker
Music By – Lumpy Davy
02. Laughing Song   4:10
Lyrics By – William Blake
Music By – Lumpy Davy
Piano – Lawrence Scott Hansen
Snare, Percussion – Lars Pedersen
Vocals [Ompa-vocal] – George Ngegu, Katrine Kjenndalen
03. Where Forlorn Sunsets Flare And Fade   10:39
Congas – Lars Pedersen
Lyrics By – William Ernest Henley
Music By – Bumble B., Lumpy Davy
04. Song   2:04
Lyrics By – Richard Watson Dixon
Music By – Bumble B., Lumpy Davy
05. The Golden Knot   5:48
Lyrics By – George MacDonald
Music By – Han Solo
06. The Haunted Chamber   2:24
Lyrics By – Henry W. Longfellow
Music By – Bumble B.
07. Well In It   9:32
Lyrics By – Lady June
Music By – Lumpy Davy
Vocals, Congas – Lars Pedersen
08. Of Pygmies, Palms And Pirates   9:48
Lead Vocals – Jørund Valandsmyr
Lyrics By – Dr. Brt Blaster, Mervyn Peake
Music By – Lumpy Davy, Mickey Moog

LINE - UP

                  

Dave Jørgensen / lead & rhythm guitars, e-bow, sitar, tambura, electric mandolin, bouzouki, tapes, backing vocals
Jørn Raknes / lead, rhythm & lap steel guitars, backing vocals
VIdar Ersfjord / Mellotron, Hammond, Fender Rhodes, harpsichord, Fx
SigneLine Lundstrom / lead & backing vocals, electric violin & viola
Hans Olav Sandåker / bass, bass pedals, piano, backing vocals
Kool Kat / drums, percussion, Theremin, backing vocals

WITH:

Dr. Brt Blaster / synth & vocals (2,7,8)
Lawrence Scott Hansen / piano (2)
Lars Pedersen / percussion & snare (2), congas (3,7), vocals (7)
George Ngegu / vocals (2)
Katrine Kjenndalen / vocals (2)
Jørund Valandsmyr / lead vocals (8)
Dag Lothar Kanestrøm / concert flute (3,4,7)
Egil Ødegård / Classical guitar (1,3)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 121 MB
Flac  Size: 314 MB