The Organ Grinder (2006)

[GypsyRoseRed]

A handsome, dark-skinned man weaves and dances his way through the crowd. Veves have been burned into the face of his old acoustic guitar, which he strums casually as he strolls though the crowd. A winged Capuchin monkey is balanced on his shoulder, holding out a rusty metal cup. The guitar player's melancholy chords begin to mingle strangely with a cacophonous jangling sound. The discordant symphony grows and swells as he moves toward a cloaked and hooded figure; this spectre's skeletal hands operate a dilapidated barrel organ that stands at a crossroads in the midway. As they come together, the music hits a nightmarish crescendo; your heart heaves with longings unfulfilled, your vision swims, and your head is filled with whispered incantations and gallows secrets. In that instant, you suddenly understand the profundity of deals made in Heaven and Hell, and the price of desire.

Almond milk, sarsaparilla, tobacco smoke, black patchouli and white pine bark.

I really wanted to try this because of the almond milk, but didn't expect to like it because patchouli and I don't usually get along. The first sniff was unlike anything I've ever tried before, and it only got better on application. The strongest note for me is sarsparilla, which is very pleasant, distinctive and sweet without being foody.. Something in the background smooths it out which smells like vanilla, but I'm guessing that'd be the almond milk. The description is right on this money with this - it's a subtle, persuasive scent. It may not be overpowering, but it's very memorable and lingered for a while. I could still detect traces of it three and a half hours later.

[zillah37]

In the bottle: Whew! I’m not quite sure about this one. At first it’s pine, almond milk, and tobacco. It’s a little harsh and nauseating. I’m a little afraid to try it on my skin to be honest.

 

On my skin: Okay, so this is much, much nicer on my skin. The almond milk is soft and smooth and it pretty much takes over all the other scents. I do get just a hint of patchouli and tobacco smoke, but none of the pine bark or sarsparilla. It’s not really a scent for me because there’s still a hint of something nauseating in the background. I don’t really like it that much.

 

Final verdict: This is so different than the rest of the scents in the Carnaval. It’s not me at all, but it’s definitely interesting.

[violalee]

For whatever reason, when I picked up the bottle and took a good look at the artwork, the name "ORGAN GRINDER" suddenly became two seperate and different words then "ORGANGRINDER" all as one.

 

In the bottle this is rather indescribable. It's a lot of almond with something acrid hanging in the background. When I first put this on, it was all rich creamy almonds, buttery and delish. Of course, as my skin is wont to do, it ate up the almonds and hit me with the pine. Now that it's dried down a bit, it smells almost like a nutty Talvikuu, but not quite as icy. I'm sad about this, and I apparently need to stay away from anything with pine.

 

On total dry down, it was still just as muddled and icky as before. This would be a gorgeous scent on a person who's skin didn't love to make the whole world know it was wearing pine.

 

ps: I'd keep it just for the artwork, but I don't want to keep harassing my senses trying to make this work on me.

Edited August 31, 2006 by violalee

[luxuria]

In the bottle: Pine, scotch tape (no, really!), and patchouli.

 

On my skin: Murky scotch tape. It's starting to sweeten, though. I think that's the almost milk. That's a really nice note and just overrode the scotch tape. I'm starting to smell the tobacco, too. The tobacco + almost milk combo is especially nice (but I'm biased because those are some of my favorite notes.) The pine disappears but the patchouli sticks around, lurking just below the surface, and it adds a very subtle touch of earthy darkness.

 

Overall, this is a more masculine blend, but a creamy and sweeter one. It's like nothing I've smelled before, that's for sure sure, and I'm glad it didn't stay the same as the awful bottle scent. This is another example of completely bizarre notes that just work.

Edited September 1, 2006 by luxuria

[nineveh]

I bought this for the tobacco, patchouli, and pine. Almond generally works on me, but I don't care for it if it's too strong.

 

At first, it's nothing but almond milk. It's sweet and creamy, but not very complex or deep.

 

As it dries, I'm getting something like lime. Perhaps that's the sarsaparilla. I really don't like lime (it ruined Torture King for me), so I'm not happy that this is what my nose is picking up.

 

The pine, which is warm and mild, comes out too, along with something smoky.

 

The almonds are ever present. By the time the sharp, limey part has faded, so has the pine.

 

This dries down to a slightly sweet, pleasantly dusty scent. This one is definitely for an almond fan who likes a little sarsaparilla and smoky elements. Unfortunately, I'm not such a fan of almonds, and while I enjoy this blend, I know that I will pass it over for ones I like more, so I'm not going to hang onto my bottle.

[zenvodunista]

I don't know about tobacco, or pine. I don't get those at all from this.

 

In the bottle I smell butter of all things, with hints of nuts, and that must be the almond milk. On... it's all coconut meat and milk, with moments of butter that fade back to that creamy, meaty, coconut. Deeper and richer than just coconut though. I am strangely entranced. This is not the kind of scent I usually go for, but I keep going back and sniffing where I applied it. I can't stop.

 

On a walk to the store I smelt this gorgeous ripeness and realized it was me. This stuff has throw.

 

I have a feeling I'm coming back to this one.

 

n.

[Magda]

In the bottle: Creamy almond with a hint of pine

 

Wet on skin: smoky, sexy pine. As it dries the sarsparilla comes out, sweetening it up just a bit.

 

This is definitely a masculine scent, but since I pretty much ignore gender designations when it comes to perfume, I'll have no trouble wearing this a lot. On me, the scent is creamy pine with a background of smoky incense. It didn't have much throw at first, but then about an hour after I applied it, it really blossomed and I felt surrounded (but not overwhelmed) by the scent. After five or six hours, the smokiness really comes out, and the last hour is pure smoke, but the nice kind, like sitting around a campfire, watching leaves crinkle in the flame.

[m13]

I get the almond, but nothing else -- and then after about a half hour I get the faintest whiff of something that smells like hot tar. Hmmmm.... not unpleasant, but not exactly what I was hoping for. Then again, I bought this only because of the reference to Robert Johnson in the artwork, not because of the notes.

 

Nut sure if I'll be keeping this to layer under other scents or sending it off to a new home. I don't dislike it, it's just not sending me into squee fits like the rest of the carnaval scents I've sampled.

[AliBabble]

in the bottle - and almond-y cologne. on my skin - first off, it is actually cooling on my skin, the way mint can be, but i credit this to the pine. i get the sarsparilla - refreshing, with the splash of lime someone mentioned - this really is an usual blend. i think i was expecting something"milkier", due to the almond milk, but that is not what's going on here - this has a bracing, "tonic" sort of quality to it - definitely masculine in tone, but i'm really digging the pine in it - it's refreshing (would make a good soap!) and the sarsparilla, patchouli and almond add a touch of sweetness. this has an olde timey feeling to it, tobacco in an old leather pouch, sarsparilla from a soda fountain, etc. very evocative. so manly or not, i'll probably be wearing this one on occasion.

[Diana]

In the bottle: almond-milky-pine. Odd.

 

Wet: Pine with a bit of a sweet backdrop, most likely from the almond milk. There is a bit of a "milk" scent that's not necessarily attached to the almond, which a bit weird in conjunction with the pine. Not bad, just not something I'd ever smelled in combination before. This reminds me a bit of Golden Priapus, minus the vanilla.

 

Drydown: This becomes a smokey, spicey piney concoction. The almond & sassaparilla are way in the background, just adding a tiny bit of a sweet edge to the blend. The pine is almost peppery! The pine note is so smokey with the addition of the tobacco smoke; it's dark & alluring.

 

This is probably most fantastical on a man, but I do love the dark, mysterious scents on myself.

 

Conclusion:

[tinyvulture]

Creamy almond. Heavenly, rich, creamy almond. It’s a perfect balance -- mouth-watering foodiness, but also a sophisticated masculine scent (but not overly masculine – it smells great on my man but I love wearing it, too). I can’t wear most almond scents because they go bitter on me, so I’m thrilled to find one that suits my skin. As it dries, I can smell the pine, which adds a lovely complexity. I have been slathering this one and will probably need another bottle before the Carnaval departs.

[LiberAmoris]

The Organ Grinder is really perplexing to me---I love the almond milk and sarsaparilla, but I'm not sure if I like them with the other notes. Like zenvodunista, I also smell coconut meat, which is another plus for the blend, but there's a combo of notes in here that on my skin, makes it smell a little bit like a crayon for some reason. It's got kind of a waxy smell, almost candle-like.

 

The longer I wore this though, the more it mellowed until it finally settled into a combo of almond, milk, coconut, and smoky patchouli . Hmmm. This might be a blend that I keep coming back to out of curiosity and eventually flat-out enjoy. In the meantime, I think this would make an excellent his-and-hers pairing with Obatala.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle:this is so unique i detect a hint of pine, something very sweet, but not immediatly recognizable

 

wet: sweet almonds, hint of pine, and sarsparilla.

 

dry: this is a swet outdoorsy scent. i really like it. i tend to like the lab's pines. so yay, another hit for me

Edited September 3, 2006 by shelldoo

[lorajc]

This is truly a unique BPAL. I am not familar with Sarsaparilla and I don't really care for pine bark....but this grows on you and pulls you in! At first sniff (both in the bottle and on the skin) it has a bitter/sour note that I don't care for, but it fades on the dry down. It then gets smoky and milky with a very unique smell in the background that is foreign to my nose. This keeps growing on me......and I find it oddly alluring.

[blueroses]

In the bottle: Almonds and pine. I like the way this smells, and it's pretty gender neutral.

 

On: Okay, the pine is much stronger. The almond fades, and the sarsparilla takes its place. I don't really smell tobacco, but there is a smoky note in there. It reminds me of being out among the trees in the late fall.

 

I love the way this smells. It's my favorite of the masculine CD blends.

[kakiphony]

In the imp: The sarsaparilla is predominant, with a sharp green note lurking in the background. If this has patchouli in it, it's the subtlest of the lab's patchoulis I've smelled to date, and the almond milk is nearly undetectable in the bottle.

 

Wet on skin: The sarsaparilla is still predominant, but the almond milk makes a cameo appearance. The sharp green note is still in the background, and it gives the scent a clean, fresh feel. It's much more herbal than I expected at this stage.

 

Early dry down: This. Is. So. Good. The almond milk and tobacco smoke have come out to play and they're softening the edges of the sarsaparilla and the green note of the pine bark. It's impossible to describe this scent accurately because it smells like nothing else I've ever smelled. The smoke is not smoke at all -- it's the lingering after-smell of really subtle pipe tobacco that used to be stored in a drawer. The almond milk smells like neither almonds nor milk. It's this sweet, subtle, creamy blending agent that makes everything smell just slightly edible while not be at all cloying. And the sarsaparilla is just...really, really nice.

 

Late dry down: The black patchouli in this blend has never really surfaced on me. I suspect, though, that it's what is grounding this blend of unexpected notes and making them hang together in such a lovely fashion. What I end up with is a sweet, yet also green and slightly spicy blend that has an effervescent character. I LOVE this blend.

 

The hoarding will now commence.

[Tramp]

I'm not getting almond from this at all. It is more of a pine scented cologne with the barest hint of sarsaparilla. Not getting any of the tobacco smoke either. Weird. I did just have a blood transfusion so am not sure if that is throwing my skin chemistry off or not.

 

On the drydown it is still pine and cologne - a sort of woodsy cologne with just a hint of soap. sadly - not for me.

[savage_rose]

In the bottle: There's something almost jelly-like about this...it's sweet, but gelatinously so. It's very much like the idea of "eat me", even if the execution is different.

 

Wet: Is that almond sticking around? Almond never sticks around me . But SOMETHING is smelling sweet and fruity...this scent is bizarre. But strangely enough, my husband really likes it. "It's very sweet". It is that!

 

Dry: Ah, there's...is that tobacco? It's faint but there. But overall it's still sweet like wacky, mystery meat Jell-O hidden under sweetness. This is one of the most interesting scents I've come across! Not one I'd wear often, but it's interesting

[PennyPretty]

The Organ Grinder is delicious. On me the almond milk is very strong, with a hint of the sarsaparilla and tobacco smoke, creamy and lush. I would love to put this on a guy and see if the other notes come out.

[Lycanthrope]

I love this. It's not what I expected at all...

 

Mostly it starts off with a subtle, understated creamy almond note that is blended really nicely with a bright pine. Given time to dry down, I can start detecting a brush of leather, smoke and masculine tang. It's ... wow. Mmm hmm.

 

I'll probably get another bouteille of this while CD is in town.

[Bagfish]

Something about this mixture of pine and almonds turns my stomach and makes my throat catch. The almonds aren't almondy in a mazipan sense, they are sweet and milky, but the pine just doesn't go with almond. The sassafrass is desperately trying to push through, but just fails to make it, and there is no tobacco or patchouli to be smelled.

 

Organ Grinder is a thin, sharp but milky scent on me. I have to say that having let it develop for a couple of hours, and not getting any improvement I will be going to wash it off now as it is awful on my skin....

 

I just can't wear the lab's almond scents and this seems to be no exception.

 

Edited to add: I didn't get round to washing this one off, and at the extreme end of the drydown it turned into straight up coconut milk like that you get from a tin. Very odd and certainly not worth sitting through the scent's rather bizarre evolution on my skin

Edited September 11, 2006 by Bagfish

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

The description of the Organ Grinder reminds me of Tombstone, which makes me think Brian might just love it! It's bright orange in color. Ah, this is wonderful and unique! Almond and pine...what an unlikely combination. But it just seems like a rich, warm, slightly foody scent with a masculine edge to it. It's going straight to Brian's box! Much more to his taste than Doc C. was.

[PurringPulsar]

The Organ Grinder

 

In the imp: soft almond and a green, bitter nuttiness which must be the sarsaparilla-though. I've not smelt it before so that's just a guess.

Wet on skin: a slight root beer-ish smell starts to surface along with the nutty scent, and I smell the tobacco smoke as well as the pine.

Dry on skin: this is such an unusual scent! It's a strange mix of very nutty notes, a bit of green and evergreen, and earthy smoke. The sarsaparilla (I think) is like nothing I've encountered in BPAL, it's nutty but totally different to the almond, and also green and rooty, and almost savoury. The pine is there, adding it's sappy, deep green scent, and tobacco wafts over it all. The patchouli seems to pull everything together without being too obvious.

After a while: the slightly toasted and very nutty scent still remains. It's a very odd scent on me-I'm not sure whether I like it or not. It's not as dark as before, it seems to have settled down but it's still unusual. After a while it develops a weird 'burnt butter' note-it's not blatantly buttery but it reminds me of that strangely nutty smell butter gets when it is overcooked. And then I get an undertone of slightly sour milk…which is funny, since the plant-based milk scents (almond, rice, coconut etc) hardly ever go sour on me.

Verdict: this is the only CD scent I'm not so keen on. Something in here-probably the sarsaparilla-just turns very weird on my skin. It's one of the most unusual scents I've ever tried, I must say…with it's dirty, earthy, nutty and rooty scent. Hints of pine and tobacco flit through every now and then but it's the almond and sarsaparilla that reign supreme here (oddly, the almond doesn't smell soft and milky, but nutty and strangely savoury)-and it's such a unique scent. I've not encountered it in other BPALs so far. But it doesn't seem to work on my skin-something doesn't sit right with this scent, it doesn't seem to agree with my chemistry. So I'll let this decant go to a happier home.

Emoticon rating:

If you like this, try: Voodoo, Baron Samedi

Edited September 28, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[Shannihilation]

In the bottle this is all pine and smoke with just the barest hint of the sarsaparilla. Om my skin so far it has stayed pretty true to that and I've had it on for an hour now. Pine is definitely the dominant note. And the tobacco smoke. Those two are at the very front. I can pick out the almond milk and the sarsaparilla in the background though. I'm hoping that the the almond milk will come forward a little more and smooth out the scent a bit more. The pine is a little overwhelming. I'm undecided about my feelings for this one. I can't quite decide if I like it or not.

[LittleGreyKitten]

This is just awful on my skin. It starts out OK, soft almond milk when wet. Then it becomes... OHGODMAKEITSTOP. I rarely react that strongly negatively to BPAL. (Except Cockaigne which I also tried tonight, I can't really think of the last time I raced to wash my wrists so fast). It just has this pungent, not-sweet, vile aroma after it dries. Not patchouli. Not pine. Not almond milk. Probably not tobacco. I dunno. Its just painfully and eyewateringly strong.

 

Unwearable on me. 1 out of 5. I think this is a skin-chemistry reaction though, really, since it smelled OK wet.