The Smell of Incense ~ Norway

Through the Gates of Deeper Slumber (1997)

The Smell of Incense were one of many new bands to have emerged in the early 90s on the exciting Colours label out of Norway - a label that was kaput shortly thereafter. Their debut All Mimsy Were the Borogoves is a mixture of folk rock, cover songs, psychedelic, and plenty of soft lens mellotron. It's a fine album, but inconsistent, and seemed to leave a lot of good ideas on the kitchen table. 

Through the Gates of Deeper Slumber is the follow up, and it's here that those lost ideas were gathered and have now come to fruition. They've moved from psychedelic folk to full-on progressive rock, and bring forth many great ideas. Oftentimes I'm reminded of the fertile early 70s UK scene as found on the Neon and Transatlantic labels. Bumble B's feminine vocals are more confident, the guitars are melodic, and.... it's mellotron a-go-go. At any one time - and often at the same time - you'll hear string, flute, and choral tapes battling it out. And when they introduce EDM 10 minutes into the recording, it's the perfect response to the otherwise analog heaven they have created. Their genius? It's the only place you'll hear that - so not a gimmick, but a surprise. Many albums from the 90s have lost their luster, as they didn't possess the depth of their predecessors, relying on cliches and technology. Through the Gates of Deeper Slumber is the opposite, and it continues to grow in my mind as a classic of its kind. Not one to miss - certainly one of the best progressive rock albums from the late 90s.

Ownership: 1997 September Gurls (CD). Tri-fold digipak with lyrics, photos, and recording details. 

1998 (acquired); 12/12/20 (review)

Of Ullages and Dottles (2007)

The Smell of Incense are a Norwegian psychedelic folk rock band, who incorporate both modern and older 1970's influences in their sound. They released two wonderful albums in the 1990s and seemed to have disappeared into the ether. So this 2007 release was quite a surprise when released, and I think it's still flying under the radar, as most of the ratings sites out there show far less activity for Of Ullages and Dottles than their earlier albums. I will say their newest album eschews some of the more modern electronica aspects for a more purified psych folk rock sound - so dyed-in-the-wool late 60s fans will most likely find this the best of the three albums.

Love the album cover!

Former ownership: 2007 September Gurls (CD). Digipak with recording details.

3/18/10 (acquired); 11/7/17 (review); 6/21/25 (update)

11/7/17 (new entry)