Customer Reviews

Escape from Dragon House [Vinyl]

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Truthfully, I didn't know Cambodia had Pop music until I heard "Escape From Dragon House," the fantastic sophmore album of Dengue Fever. That took a little research and the discovery of their first album, which is retro-dance covers of 60's Cambodian pop that I still know little about but, am enjoying immensely. I am a little wiser and much happier.

I am not trying to give the false impression that Dengue Fever is a purely "International" band. The group consists of five Americans, with an obvious knowledge of the last forty years of Pop Music and one incredible Cambodian lead vocalist, who before emmigrating was the toast of her country. This is not "International" Music. It is Universal.

With the exception of "Tip My Canoe," this album is cover free and all original music. They maintain their penchant for grooving dance tunes and add a little thrill and smash. From the beginning of the album with "We Were Gonna," you can feel the influence of Funk and Punk that meshes beautifully.

I suggest you download "Sni Bong" from this page, get addicted and order both Escape and the Self Titied first album for your permanent spin

All right, I'm a NUT for Asian music (this CD arrived in the same package as Kronos Quartet's rendition of classic Bollywood), but as I listened I couldn't help but twist a little in the kitchen. To call this fusion is to sell it short--this is music, with no style labels to dissect it and let the musicaologists pigeonhole. I wanted to throat in a little kargyraa underneath it all, because this stuff lends itself to everything under the sun (and under rocks). This disc is going to sit in my player a long time.

2003 doesn't seem like that long ago, but when you are waiting for a new Dengue Fever release...well, it seems like a long time. The wait was worth it! Dengue Fever's first release was so strong that I pulled the CD out of the player and bit through it. This was both embarassing to me professionally and personally. I am, after all, a 54 year old grandfather. Still, the music was that good. I had to order another one! This time I impressed with some elements of controll and restraint I hear, i.e. "Sui Bong" et al. Chhom Nimol's voice is at best hauntingly angelic (at worst it still beats all others). The bass lines in Dengue Fever will scatter the dust on your furniture, and the brass has that distinctive wide sound that "breathes" into the melody. How, oh how can we omit the Phantomoftheopera organ that builds a template for the bass-stripped tenor guitar work. My, my, my. Buy this CD. Quickly, my child.

I saw the link just by chance and the album art caught my eye. I'd never heard anything about this band before, but decided to give it a chance. This album is great! While it steers itself in different directions several times, it never loses the a fun upbeat theme. And the camp in the music is greatly appreciated, so many bands take themselves too seriously now-a-days. Start with the first song "We Were Gonna," and before you know you'll have enjoyed the whole CD.

It's really worth giving new things, like this CD a try!

Now, in order to understand my obsession with Dengue Fever, I have to tell the story of how I first came across them. Being only a senior in high school with wayyy too much homework to do, my schedule is always weird, and I was awake one night, while listening to a local college radio station. All of a sudden, a wonderful wonderful song began to play. As i listened to it more and more, an overwhelming sense of joy overcame me. I immediately found the closest cassete next to me, and taped the rest of the song over some old Sade singles. Anyways, since it was 2 in the morning when this came on, I had no way of calling the radio station as I usually do and seeing who it was. For a year, I'd listen to the song several times throughout the day, and just dance, and feel the lovely Asian ness of it. One fateful afternoon, after arriving from school, I turned on the radio station, and the song began to play, and I jumped with joy and immediately called the radio station whose number I now have memorized. They told me something like yeah, dude, this is "Bengay Fever with Hold my Hits" so for hours, I searched the internet for this, and eventually came across, Dengue Fever's "Hold My Hips" (a wonderful title for a mesmerizing song I may add). Now, I then proceeded to go and find any trace of the band that I could, and came across their website. The next day, I called in our local record shop and had them order me a copy of the Self titled cd, which I've showed to thousands of friends who equally love it as much as I do. Well, it's been a while since I had the magic of listening to a full Dengue Fever cd, and then the incredible "Escape From Dragon House" is released.

Now, I must say that this cd is so incredible, that I had to start a new paragraph. After I heard the single, "Sni Bong", I knew that they weren't just some Cambodian cover band with a niche for renewing old songs. I can honestly say that this is one of the few cd's that I can listen to all the way through, and just be utterly happy. "Tip My Canoe", "Sleepwalking Through The Mekong", and "Saran Wrap" particularly stand out to me though. Even for us common Americans who can't speak a word of Khmer, "Tip My Canoe" is an incredibly fun song to sing along to. Myself being a huge fan of South Asia, have always appreciated everything that the Mekong has had to offer, and I think that no other song in the world can better captivate the feeling of flowing down one of the heavily green filled portions of the Mekong in the middle of a warm night than "Sleepwalking Through The Mekong". "Saran Wrap" shows off the darker, edgier sound of Dengue Fever and solidifies that they aren't just some poppy band with a pretty lead singer and seriously sweet Farfisa lines. All in all, this cd is a cd for the masses, and if you're looking for something to just broaden your musical spectrum, then I must say that this is the absolute best place to start. Dengue Fever does what I've yet to see any band do to this day, accurately present the beauty of Cambodian music and richness of the cultures. So to those who are about to listen to Dengue Fever, I salute you.

Dengue Fever is for sure an amazing band. It's not easy to find a band that makes an unique and differente kind of music with passion. It's exotic, energetic, evocative, psychodelic and etc.

With fuzzy surf guitar, intricate rhythms, and tricky Khmer vocals, their songs provide the missing link/tangent between soundtracks to Bollywood musicals and early James bond flicks.

The band discovered its singer, Chhom Nimol, at a nightclub in the Cambodian part of long beach. She moved to long beach from Phnom Penh about a year ago!!

It's definitely worth your money and time! Check it out!

While the above is a statistically improbable phrase, Dengue Fever pulls it off magnificently. I'm biting at the bit to see "Sleepwalking Through the Mekong," yet the nearest showing is over 100 miles away. Please come to Phoenix, folks! I have no idea what Ms Nimol is saying, yet that doesn't matter a bit.

This is the second album from the band, unlike the first one, there are more original songs written by the sixtet, a much more mature album.

If you're looking for a whole new sound to discover, this is the band to listen to. It's different, it's unique and it's bound to make you want to dance or bop your head... or even both! As someone who grew up with Cambodian music playing all the time, I am happy to see the exposure given to Cambodian and international music.

Dengue Fever is incredible. Mix a little bit of retro,

world, rock and jazz with Cambodian super-hot lyrics by

the gorgeous Chhom Nimol and you have a little idea of

Dengue Fever.

They are fun to see, listen to and fill your holiday party

groovings with, I just hope they stick around in our right

wing, dullville US and don't migrate to some wonderful other

world and leave us behind.

Check these guys out, you won't be disappointed.

ck

Dengue Fever is wonderfully infectious. There's something in this album for everyone,for Asian music fans and merry tripsters alike! Think of a Cambodian Grateful Dead with a penchant for Dick Dale-like surf guitar,and a woman with an amazing voice.

The opening "We were gonna" is a rousing,almost Beach Boys on acid like melody. "Sui Bong" is another joyous tune. "Sleepwalking through the Mekong" is dreamlike. It evokes a night in the rainforest, with the ruins of Angkor Wat luminous in the moonlight. "One Thousand Tears of the Tarantula" is an infectious acid jam;it was on the second season finale of Showtime's "Weeds." Trippin' indeed. "Lake Dolores" is a melancholy instrumental. "Made of Steam" and "Hummingbird" are sad,thoughtful ballads.

"Escape from Dragon House" is a glorious escape into the world of Khmer rock! Come to the dragon house, come down with some Dengue Fever, and drink in the marvelous music!