Dengue Fever
Embracing the Future, Respecting the Past
2008-03-26
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"When you hear that Cambodian pop from the '60s, it's just amazing music. It doesn't even take a genius to listen to that and get a feeling from it. It's kind of other-worldly", remarked Dengue Fever's Senon Williams in a recent conversation with Synthesis.
Four decades ago, amidst the horror of the Vietnam War, young Cambodian musicians began to convert the rock and soul sounds they heard over American military airwaves into their own form of infectious pop/rock music. But sadly, as the oppressive Khmer Rouge took control of post-war Cambodia, this highly expressive music was all but lost almost as quickly as it was born. It was these artists, and their style-isms, that formed the well of inspiration for LA-based Khmer rock sextet Dengue Fever.
With their most recent recording, the evocatively powerful Venus on Earth, Dengue Fever—which includes the aforementioned Williams on bass, guitarist/vocalist Zac Holtzman, keyboardist Ethan Holtzman, lead vocalist Chhom Nimol, drummer Paul Smith and David Ralicke on horns—proves that the critcal acclaim following their previous release, Escape from Dragon House, was no fluke. In fact, it was simply a sign of greater things to come. Although 2005’s ...Dragon House did garner enough attention to be named one of Mojo's Top 10 World Music albums of the year, as well as Amazon's no. 1 International release for '05, Venus on Earth exemplifies the group's maturation to another level all together.
Whereas in the past, much of Dengue Fever's psychedelic-rock sound was centered around multi-layered, loose jams and Nimol's ability to navigate her Khmer (pronounced cam-aye) vocals within that extended framework, on Venus... the crew has battened down the hatches and streamlined their sound, creating a smooth, balanced quality to the songwriting. As Williams put it, “It was important for us to not dwell in the ‘60s or in the ‘70s, but it was important to us to record with interesting sounds, and record them well. Not too much instrumentation, not too much stuff; but just really well, and really tasty.”
Immediatley, the tone is set with the album opener, "Seeing Hands". Holtzman's Eastern-tinged guitar creeps into the foreground just long enough to relinquish control to Nimol’s soaring vocals, and a driving rhythm section that could easily be guiding a caravan of camels. The East-meets-West synergy is impressive, not to mention, that the groove is downright intoxicating. By rapidly changing octaves, and fluctuating her vocal phrasing, Nimol commands any listener's attention with her sheer ablility. One is left scratching their head, wondering how in the hell they made this fusion of sounds work, in spite the fact that Nimol is usually singing in Khmer, rather than English. Williams explained the seamless meshing of Nimol’s vocals with the Western-rock foundation of the instruments by stating, “We had it in mind to play to Chhom's vocal talents and her singing...She can’t sing any other way, it's just who she is.”
It should be noted, however, that these days, “any other way” is strictly in reference to style and technique, not language. As Nimol continues to spend more time in the United States, and less time in Cambodia, her English has improved drastically. With the support of her bandmates, several songs on the new album feature Nimol singing in English, and doing it quite well. Up until now, she has been continuously amazed that she has connected with American audiences while singing in Khmer. Nimol wants nothing more than to reach and inspire her listeners, to connect strongly with them on a more personal level.
A perfect opportunity for this is “Tiger Phone Card,” a super-catchy slice of pop-rock romance, where she and Holtzman play out a long-distance-relationship scenario, one that many listeners will surely relate to. “That's what I really love about Zac [Holtzman]'s writing,” remarked Williams, “that lyrically, even if he’s writing a love story, or something like that, it’s always down to Earth. Kinda what normal people do, normal circumstances.” Another prime example of this technique is a second Nimol/Holtzman duet in English, “Sober Driver.” This time Nimol plays the part of a party-hungry socialite who calls upon a disgruntled Holtzman, literally, whenever she needs a ride home. Again, something that many people can unfortunately relate to.
Despite the massive strides made by Nimol in terms of her language barrier, the band still, at least at this point in time, is at its best when Nimol is in her comfort zone and the band is railing behind her. Venus on Earth’s most rousing example of this is the production marvel “Integration.” Drummer Paul Smith, who should be commended on doing a stellar job as producer for the entire album, throws myriad influences into one of the record’s best songwriting efforts, and the result is utterly climatic. A strange mixture of Eastern-rock styles and a touch of ska create the perfect pad for another one of Nimol’s intriguing melodies. After a while, the song’s tension begins to slowly build, and Williams’s bass jumps out in front, driving the momentum of the entire band as textures continue to surface from Ethan Holtzman's ethereal keyboards and Ralicke’s savory horn lines. In the end, the listener is left with a full palette of sonic goodness that leaves a sensation of travelling to foreign countries, and loving it. Any purveyor of warm, psychedelic tinged rock ‘n’ roll will undoubtedly fall in love with Venus on Earth.
When asked if he himself were surprised by the fact that Dengue Fever has all but perfected their own brand of Khmer rock, the humble Williams replied, “I don’t see it as perfection, I just see it as a constant growth. I don't think we're done growing. It’s kind of the bitter end of bands to hit a spot and stop progressing… I hope you should expect more changes, or something for the next album.”
Four decades ago, amidst the horror of the Vietnam War, young Cambodian musicians began to convert the rock and soul sounds they heard over American military airwaves into their own form of infectious pop/rock music. But sadly, as the oppressive Khmer Rouge took control of post-war Cambodia, this highly expressive music was all but lost almost as quickly as it was born. It was these artists, and their style-isms, that formed the well of inspiration for LA-based Khmer rock sextet Dengue Fever.
With their most recent recording, the evocatively powerful Venus on Earth, Dengue Fever—which includes the aforementioned Williams on bass, guitarist/vocalist Zac Holtzman, keyboardist Ethan Holtzman, lead vocalist Chhom Nimol, drummer Paul Smith and David Ralicke on horns—proves that the critcal acclaim following their previous release, Escape from Dragon House, was no fluke. In fact, it was simply a sign of greater things to come. Although 2005’s ...Dragon House did garner enough attention to be named one of Mojo's Top 10 World Music albums of the year, as well as Amazon's no. 1 International release for '05, Venus on Earth exemplifies the group's maturation to another level all together.
Whereas in the past, much of Dengue Fever's psychedelic-rock sound was centered around multi-layered, loose jams and Nimol's ability to navigate her Khmer (pronounced cam-aye) vocals within that extended framework, on Venus... the crew has battened down the hatches and streamlined their sound, creating a smooth, balanced quality to the songwriting. As Williams put it, “It was important for us to not dwell in the ‘60s or in the ‘70s, but it was important to us to record with interesting sounds, and record them well. Not too much instrumentation, not too much stuff; but just really well, and really tasty.”
Immediatley, the tone is set with the album opener, "Seeing Hands". Holtzman's Eastern-tinged guitar creeps into the foreground just long enough to relinquish control to Nimol’s soaring vocals, and a driving rhythm section that could easily be guiding a caravan of camels. The East-meets-West synergy is impressive, not to mention, that the groove is downright intoxicating. By rapidly changing octaves, and fluctuating her vocal phrasing, Nimol commands any listener's attention with her sheer ablility. One is left scratching their head, wondering how in the hell they made this fusion of sounds work, in spite the fact that Nimol is usually singing in Khmer, rather than English. Williams explained the seamless meshing of Nimol’s vocals with the Western-rock foundation of the instruments by stating, “We had it in mind to play to Chhom's vocal talents and her singing...She can’t sing any other way, it's just who she is.”
It should be noted, however, that these days, “any other way” is strictly in reference to style and technique, not language. As Nimol continues to spend more time in the United States, and less time in Cambodia, her English has improved drastically. With the support of her bandmates, several songs on the new album feature Nimol singing in English, and doing it quite well. Up until now, she has been continuously amazed that she has connected with American audiences while singing in Khmer. Nimol wants nothing more than to reach and inspire her listeners, to connect strongly with them on a more personal level.
A perfect opportunity for this is “Tiger Phone Card,” a super-catchy slice of pop-rock romance, where she and Holtzman play out a long-distance-relationship scenario, one that many listeners will surely relate to. “That's what I really love about Zac [Holtzman]'s writing,” remarked Williams, “that lyrically, even if he’s writing a love story, or something like that, it’s always down to Earth. Kinda what normal people do, normal circumstances.” Another prime example of this technique is a second Nimol/Holtzman duet in English, “Sober Driver.” This time Nimol plays the part of a party-hungry socialite who calls upon a disgruntled Holtzman, literally, whenever she needs a ride home. Again, something that many people can unfortunately relate to.
Despite the massive strides made by Nimol in terms of her language barrier, the band still, at least at this point in time, is at its best when Nimol is in her comfort zone and the band is railing behind her. Venus on Earth’s most rousing example of this is the production marvel “Integration.” Drummer Paul Smith, who should be commended on doing a stellar job as producer for the entire album, throws myriad influences into one of the record’s best songwriting efforts, and the result is utterly climatic. A strange mixture of Eastern-rock styles and a touch of ska create the perfect pad for another one of Nimol’s intriguing melodies. After a while, the song’s tension begins to slowly build, and Williams’s bass jumps out in front, driving the momentum of the entire band as textures continue to surface from Ethan Holtzman's ethereal keyboards and Ralicke’s savory horn lines. In the end, the listener is left with a full palette of sonic goodness that leaves a sensation of travelling to foreign countries, and loving it. Any purveyor of warm, psychedelic tinged rock ‘n’ roll will undoubtedly fall in love with Venus on Earth.
When asked if he himself were surprised by the fact that Dengue Fever has all but perfected their own brand of Khmer rock, the humble Williams replied, “I don’t see it as perfection, I just see it as a constant growth. I don't think we're done growing. It’s kind of the bitter end of bands to hit a spot and stop progressing… I hope you should expect more changes, or something for the next album.”
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