The name of the sequel to Marc Jacobs Bang; Bang Bang seems appropriate because it reminds me of the Nancy Sinatra version of Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) whose plaintive guitar opens the Quentin Tarantino movie Kill Bill Volume 1. Like The Bride in Kill Bill, Bang was left for dead by another contemporary men’s fragrance which was released at the same time with the same amount of fanfare, Bleu de Chanel. I hailed Bang as the best new men’s fragrance of the past two years and I damned Bleu de Chanel with faint praise for its unoriginality. Naturally Bleu would go on to become a huge seller and the most successful men’s fragrance launch in years. Bang was left for dead lying on the department store floor. Just like The Bride Marc Jacobs decided to get up and see if he couldn’t find a way to compete and succeed over Bleu and so with much less hoopla Bang Bang was released in August only online at marcjacobs.com and in Marc Jacobs stores. Compared to the splashy PR campaign for Bang with an oiled-up Marc Jacobs and a strategically placed bottle the rollout for Bang Bang was the equivalent of a PR coma. The plan for Bang Bang seems to be much more modest and hoping a good steady positive buzz will create an eventual demand while reducing risk if it doesn’t.

Bang Bang returns the entire creative team behind Bang. The bottle is the same concave shiny shape, by Harry Allen: except instead of silver it is, wait for it, blue! A coincidence perhaps? The perfumer is the same, Yann Vasnier, and he chooses to take Bang Bang in a different “Bleuer” direction. More coincidence? Where Bang was a niche fragrance in masstige clothes Bang Bang is a much more accessible fragrance with niche underclothes. This time instead of trying to bring the department store consumer all the way over to the niche side M Vasnier caters to what it seems they want but by adding in something unique, along with the expected, he again attempts to edge them towards a niche sensibility.

M Vasnier keeps a more mainstream architecture with Bang Bang as he uses lemon as his opening note. The choice of fennel and cardamom is where he chooses to go more niche aesthetic. The top never strays from the familiar lemon being in control but the herbal nature of the fennel and the lemon-like zip of cardamom lure one into unusual ground. M Vasnier plays it safe through the middle part as sandalwood adds a traditional masculine woodiness and it contrasts well with the lemon. The base is made up of soft cashmere musks and these are warm and enveloping. They rise out of the sandalwood and at the end all of the notes come together in a pleasant package that I have really enjoyed wearing.

One of the common complaints about Bang was its longevity. Bang Bang has incredible overnight longevity on my skin and above average sillage.

I have to say that I am once again impressed with the result and if Bang Bang isn’t as flat out amazing as Bang it is still one of the best things in Men’s designer fragrance and it is still leagues better than Bleu de Chanel. The fact that Marc Jacobs has chosen to roll this out much more slowly is a good thing.  I think Bang Bang has a good chance to build up good word of mouth and hopefully drive up demand enough before having to face Bleu across a moonlit department store counter. I know that I hope Bang Bang can deliver a Five-Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique punch to its rival and Kill Bleu.

Disclosure: This review was based on a bottle of Bang Bang I purchased from marcjacobs.com

In hope of creating some good word of mouth for Bang Bang I will make two 2.5mL samples for two commenters. To be eligible describe your own Tarantino-esque showdown between Bang Bang and Bleu de Chanel. It can be short and sweet or long and drawn out but use your imagination. Draw will end November 7, 2011.

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 spilt perfume

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor