The Bhopal's Flowers Christmas single - the Magi not only bring presents from the East, but also music

Bhopal's Flowers
Incense Myrrh & Gold / Jingle Bells
(Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, Snowflake 36, The Netherlands, 2025)

Bhopal's Flowers are from Montréal, Canada, just like Les Pommes De Lunes, who recorded a single for the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club last year. This is no coincidence. Les Pommes de Lune's single made Bhopal's Flowers aware of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club. The band was already considering for some time to do a Christmas single, had even recorded two songs, but couldn't find a label.

One of those two songs you now find on the B-side of their Snowflakes single: 'Jingle Bells'. When I heard the song, I immediately liked it, as it was very different from any other versions of 'Jingle Bells' around. And that is also what Snowflakes is about: to present completely new and original takes on Christmas music. The original song was not finished yet, and initially not as strong as 'Jingle Bells'. But after some serious reworking, it became a completely different and very strong song. It has a more Middle-eastern vibe, and reflects the sound of the area the Magis were from.

More information about the band, who recently opened for another band that was inspired by Indian music, Kula Shaker, below.

There aren't a lot of Christmas songs that include Persian Târ, twelve-string guitar, tanpura, and sitar, but Bhopal's Flowers Christmas song 'Incense, Myrrh & Gold' has all of them. Despite their Indian-sounding name, Bhopal’s Flowers are from Montreal, Canada. Since 2018, they have released three well-received albums and one single on labels like Sound Effects and Hypnotic Bridge. In their music, Bhopal’s Flowers—the brainchild of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Lionel Pezzano—mix a wide array of influences, including psychedelic rock, sunshine pop, French pop, and Hindustani and Middle Eastern sounds. 'Incense, Myrrh & Gold' is a catchy song about the Magi who came from the East to bring presents to the newborn King.

The B-side features Bhopal’s Flowers' cover of one of the most recorded Christmas songs ever, taking it to places it has never been before. Imagine if the Beatles had decided to record 'Jingle Bells' at the end of a long recording session for their classic album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, with Ravi Shankar present to play a sitar solo. Give Bhopal's Flower's rendition of 'Jingle Bells' a listen and you'll have a good sense of how that might have sounded. The single comes packaged in a stylish, 1970s-inspired sleeve on snow-white bio vinyl, limited to 320 copies.

Listen to the songs on Bandcamp:

You can still order the three still available 7"'s of this year's edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, including the single by Bhopal's Flowers on Big Cartel: Snowflake's Big Cartel