Escape from Dragon House [ENHANCED]

Dengue Fever

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 27, 2007)
• Original Release Date: March 13, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: M80
• ASIN: B000N6UCTK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #58,524 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > World Music > Far East & Asia > Cambodia

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"If you can imagine a band where a Cambodian beauty queen shares the stage with Rasputin, Barry White, Allen Ginsberg, Michael Hutchence, and Brian Wilson, you'd have a pretty good idea of the group Dengue Fever." -- L.A. TIMES

"Her voice is swathed in reverb, becoming instantly mythic." -- THE WIRE

"The culture clash inherent to this band gives its debut a dynamic flair." -- TIME OUT NEW YORK

"Dengue Fever is at the vanguard of an emerging global pop sensibility, making familiar yet eerily unique music." -- KEXP

Fronted by Cambodian pop star Ch'hom Nimol, who sings in Khmer, Los Angeles sextet Dengue Fever blends the rhythms of sixties Cambodian pop--heavily influenced by American surf, rock, and early psychedelic garage bands--with their own eclectic mix of American and international styles. Unlike the world music bands of the late eighties, Dengue Fever is more concerned with a universal groove and breaking down musical barriers than with notions of authenticity. There are echoes of Bollywood soundtracks, Ethiopian soul, American R&B, Cambodian folk, Spaghetti Western weirdness, and girl-group angst in the mix, but the resulting concoction is the band's own.

On Escape from Dragon House, the sound is denser, thicker, and richer than on the group's 2003 self-titled debut. Escape from Dragon House is also darker, both musically and lyrically, with a fully realized style that melts all of the band's influences into one realized voice that is pure Dengue Fever.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, this is awesome!, May 12, 2007

By	John E. Cole "hillbillly" (Prosperity, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought the original version of this CD after stumbling across Dengue Fever on the National Geographic world music website under Cambodia (even though the band is in Southern California -- where else!). What a find! From the moment I popped it into my CD player, I was hooked. I can't exactly claim to be a world music aficionado, but I do like to try different kinds of music from just about everywhere, and every once in a while I get lucky and find a real gem like this one.

I can't understand a word of Khmer, but that was no impediment to my falling in love with Chhom Nimol. Her voice is powerful, clear, and mesmerizing. The music feels kind of like a time warp. It makes me feel good. In trying to describe it, words like mod, cool, groovy, and funky come to mind. There's one track in particular, "One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula," that makes me feel like I'm dissolving or something; I don't know how else to describe it. How do they do that??? At first my wife thought I was going a little crazy listening to that -- but I think I've got her liking it now too. There are a whole lot of other great tracks here too. Give it a try -- you won't regret it! By the way, I also have their self-titled debut album and it has the same addictive effect on me.

Just the other day I bought this recently released enhanced version of this CD, partly because I was afraid of wearing the first one out. The bonus track is kind of fun, and the video is fantastic! The whole band looks really cool. It's psychadelic! -- I hope I can use that word here without giving the wrong connotation. And in case I haven't said it already, Chhom Nimol is beautiful.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still feverish...., May 1, 2008

By	spitgrrl (libraryland, indiana) - See all my reviews

I bought this because I was immensely impressed by their newest album, "Venus on Earth" and this one is just as great. The songs, by and large, are drenched in straight-up psychedelic pop and are so darn catchy that you'll have these tunes stuck in your head for hours...even if you can't understand the lyrics. But that's what's so great about this band: They transcend language and nationality and can be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates great music.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun california band with a Cambodian lead singer, October 22, 2007

By	VASCO DA GAMA (ATLANTA, GEORGIA) - See all my reviews

If you are looking for music to put on after hours with some candle light, cocktails, and some good people than this is it. Dengue Fever are funky, groovy, mysterious, romantic, and pyschedelic! The musicianship is top notch. The singing is all in Khmer, which is the main language of Cambodia? This is a sexy and catchy album. I was looking for music that had a retro/funk/surfer style, but with an edge. The edge is the singing in a different language. Don't worry about lyrics or that you can't understand it. Just relax. Fix a drink. Pur some loose clothing on and play this loud because this ain't for meditation. It's for people who want to be groovy baby.