Friday, June 2, 2023

Norwegian Wood Fuses Past And Present In One Spellbinding Fragrance

Share This Post

Norwegian Wood is a fragrance named after a Haruki Murakami novel which is in turn named after a Beatles song. When you put it that way, it sounds a little ridiculous, but such a twisting heritage is the perfect subject for a Folie Á Plusiers perfume. Folie is a house we’ve covered often, and for good reason: they make pieces of art that combine meticulous artistry with an unwavering experimental bent. Each fragrance jumps from the shoulders of a familiar giant into celestial territory where new context turns a familiar idea into something awe-inspiring and radical. It’s no surprise, then, that the ‘wood’ referenced in Norwegian Wood is more akin to alien fauna than a patchouli fragrance in some sixties-era tent.

In the past, I’ve found it difficult to write about Folie’s perfumes because they tend to strike me as rigorously intellectual. Most are named after pieces of high art, or they’re modeled after abstract concepts. However, that’s not why they tend to baffle noses. There are so many familiar aspects of most Folie perfumes that make them seem almost mainstream, almost like something you could stumble upon showcased in a high-end perfume store. Yet Folie compositions consistently tend to include not only unexpected notes, but unexpected accords that make themselves known during the entire life of the perfume. And these aren’t unexpected accords that bear any obvious shock value, but rather familiar accords that make each Folie note pyramid confuse the mind’s eye (nose?) when one tries to imagine what something might smell like. Just look at the bizzarro ‘metallic rose’ among Norwegian Wood’s otherwise familiar boozy-woods construction:

Norwegian Wood notes

Whiskey, metallic rose, cashmere wood, amber, incense, sandalwood, oakwood, musk

Remove that standout note and what you have is a very familiar balsamic woods fragrance. You would think that such an inclusion wouldn’t completely transform a fragrance, but spray it and you’ll soon discover a work of genius sculpting. Instead of using the expected heavy dollops of amber to go along with the whiskey and incense, Mark Buxton plays up the pencil-dry aspect of sandalwood and the clean animalic musk to turn the rose into a modern rendition of a bright woody-floral perfume. The rest of the notes form a familiar foundation for this accord to sing over, playing dark against light and density against airiness. This might all sound a bit self-indulgent from a writing standpoint, but this is the miracle of a Mark Buxton construction. Norwegian Wood gets to have it all: two independent essences fit with puzzle-piece cohesion in the same drop of liquid.

We often celebrate perfumes that go beyond gender and genre here at The Fandomentals. Perfumes like Norwegian Wood go one step further. Smell this fragrance and you’ll forget that such boxes existed in the first place; your brain will be in uncharted territory where such narrow delineations no longer appear relevant. My first sniff reminded me of what non-binary musician yeule said in a recent interview re: their unconventional makeup style: “I just don’t like being perceived as conventionally pretty. I don’t want people to look at me and be like, ‘You’re so hot.’ I want them to be like, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’” For those who want to turn themselves into a piece of art, Norwegian Wood is a perfect companion. Whether it’s sitting on skin or on a countertop, Norwegian Wood starts the sort of conversations that can turn an average day into a revelation.

You can purchase Norwegian Wood here or sample it here.

The Fandomentals “Fragdomentals” team base our reviews off of fragrances that we have personally, independently sourced. Any reviews based off of house-provided materials will be explicitly stated.

Have strong thoughts about this piece you need to share? Or maybe there’s something else on your mind you’re wanting to talk about with fellow Fandomentals? Head on over to our Community server to join in the conversation!

Norwegian Wood
4 Reviewer
0 Users (0 votes)
UnisexFor
Woody FloralType
Pros
Norwegian Wood is a forward-thinking fragrance that remixes familiar accords into a new, yet engaging, result.
Cons
Folie's fragrances are excellently priced for the quality, but it's still a lot to invest.
Summary
Seekers of inventive yet highly wearable fragrances should not miss out on Folie, and Norwegian Wood is a great entry point to the house.
Blending
Performance
Value
What people say... Leave your rating
Sort by:

Be the first to leave a review.

User Avatar
Verified
{{{ review.rating_title }}}
{{{review.rating_comment | nl2br}}}

Show more
{{ pageNumber+1 }}
Leave your rating

Your browser does not support images upload. Please choose a modern one

Author

  • Jade

    Jade is the Lifestyle Editor at the Fandomentals, where they obsess over perfume and underground music. Their wacky poetry is floating around the internet - beware! Follow them for fragrance and poetry content @johndarrextreme on Instagram.

Latest Posts

Cephalofair Announces Second Edition Of Smash Hit ‘Gloomhaven’

Cephalofair Games, publisher of Gloomhaven, Jaws of the Lion,...

Faeforge Academy: Episode 135 – Deeper

As the party combines the Dream spell with Planeshift...

Wizards Of The Coast Announces New Pride Merch To Benefit The Trevor Project

Wizards of the Coast is proud to celebrate Pride...

The Ultimate TTRPG Tarot Offers Up Much More Than Collectible Novelty

The Ultimate TTRPG Tarot is based on the classic Rider-Waite Tarot deck, and doesn't do much to alter the overall style of the deck. Instead, Zachary Bacus and colorist Hank Jones replaced the classical esoteric imagery with things straight out of a D&D game. For instance High Priestess has become a Mindflayer, albeit a nerdy one with glasses and a DMG. The art also reflects the overall humor of the cards, which is stuffed to the gills with references and in-jokes straight out of a TTRPG convention. It's sort of like if you mixed a tarot deck up with a game of Munchkin. That writing comes from Jef Aldrich and Jon Taylor, hosts of the System Mastery podcast, who bring their pretty wide experience in tabletop to bear in this deck.

Free League Will Publish Official ‘Vaesen’ Expansion Based On ‘The Lost Mountain Saga’ Podcast

Free League Publishing today announced the expansion The Lost Mountain Saga for...

Access-Ability Summer Showcase Spotlights Accessible Video Games

The Access-Ability Summer Showcase premieres June 9th with a look at games by disabled creators, accessibility settings and design choices, and other reveals.