Moon Valley Mountain by Joseph E. Yoakum

In a sea of fragrances which can all smell like variations on a theme it is when I experience something outside of that continuum that I really get excited.  Just a little over two years I discovered the Portland, OR perfume house called slumberhouse and the perfumer behind it Josh Lobb. From my first reviews I applauded his way of approaching perfume composition from a stance of an outsider. I spent some time after that first review acquiring all of the fragrances Mr. Lobb had made and now I eagerly await new releases. For 2013 Mr. Lobb has decided to revisit that past and he has been re-releasing earlier fragrances in extrait concentration. The latest fragrance to get this update is 2009’s Ore.

Ore was one of the first fragrances Mr. Lobb released back in 2009. Of all the updates this one shows the evolution of Mr. Lobb as a perfumer and also the evolution of the slumberhouse aesthetic. It is by far the biggest difference between the original and the extrait of the fragrances which have undergone this re-imagining.

If I was pressed I would’ve said the original Ore was my least favorite of Mr. Lobb’s earlier creations because it had all the subtlety of a right cross to the nose. An overpowering dry cocoa seemed to overwhelm every receptor in my brain. It took nearly an hour for me to realize there was anything else as it went through a slightly caramel aspect on top of an edgy green balsamic base. Coming to this after trying other things by Mr. Lobb made me exhibit some patience with it but it was really close to being unbearable. I recall wearing it on a hot day and even picking up a bit of a barnyard accord. I think this was Mr. Lobb working through the early development of how he wanted his perfumes to smell. There are some of the trademark slumberhouse beats around but it was more preview of what was to come.

With that as prologue when Mr. Lobb sent me a sample of the new Ore extrait I was very curious to see how he looked at his original as he went about reformulating it. Would I get the same rough cut or has time developed a new eye for an old friend? The answer is the latter as the extrait is an overall stronger composition in every meaning of that word.

The extrait of Ore opens with the same dry cocoa but this time it is toned down enough to let other things come out to play. There is a subtle touch of thyme which picks up the less sweet aspects of the cocoa and adds some of the green quality of the original early on without being as sharp. The transition seems more smoothed out with less of an abrupt shift happening as there was in the original. The mix of woods: oakwood, guaiac and peru resin turn Ore into a creamy balsamic mix coated in cocoa. Right here is where Mr. Lobb shows his improvement as perfumer; all of this is present in the original but it collides with each other like a pinball against a bumper making an unappealing thunk. In this new extrait the notes are well-balanced which allow for a more complete picture to be presented and that picture is something to behold. A bit of vanilla added in the late going turns all of this into a slight tobacco accord that lasts for a fleeting moment.

Ore extrait has nearly 24-hour longevity but its sillage is very close to the skin.

Mount Swan by Joseph E. Yoakum

With all the previous extraits it felt like Mr. Lobb just did a tiny bit of fine tuning from original to extrait. With Ore he tore down the original house and rebuilt with the same recycled materials and went from sledgehammer to scalpel. The extrait version of Ore is a complete example of why Mr. Lobb is one of our most exciting olfactory artists.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by slumberhouse.

Thanks to Parfum1.com we have eight samples of Ore extrait to giveaway. This is a worldwide draw. To be eligible leave a comment naming your favorite slumberhouse fragrance (or one you want to try) or your favorite example of something which got better the second time around. Draw will end August 4, 2013.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

Editor's Note: The art I chose for this piece is from the artist Joseph E. Yoakum (1889-1972) who is one of the best of those labeled "outsider artists". His abstract landscapes seem an appropriate companion to these fragrances.