My Top 1000 Songs #494: Smell Of Incense

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]

Some underappreciated 60s psychedelia, a track that deserves more than sub-Nuggets-level obscurity, "Smell Of Incense" perfectly captures a nostalgic, hazy, drug-addled Summer of Love vibe, crashed out on the second-hand sofa after a few bong hits. It's a lush and pretty tune from the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, the elusive act with the clunky name and creepy back-story, off their second (or third, depending on how you count) LP, 1967's Volume 2). It kicks off with a bit of an Indian raga breakdown before slipping into a comforting, mellow groove, stretching out to nearly 6 minutes--the middle doesn't really go anywhere, but you can imagine how cool a trippy jam would've worked here in the hands of a more show-offy band--which is more than enough time to lose yourself in space and maybe grab a quick snack.

Same song, trippy slide show:

2019 live cover version by The Reverberations; nice to see some love for the track.