CD REVIEW: Dengue Fever

Posted August 5 at 10:27 AM

At the beginning of Dengue Fever’s album “Venus on Earth,” the listener is transported to what sounds like a Cambodian nightclub in the 1960s.

Dengue Fever infuses the sounds of Cambodian pop with that of psychedelic rock, which is an uncommon yet intriguing duo. Many of the songs are sung in Khmer by Cambodian vocalist Chhom Nimol. The rest of the band features guitar, farfisa organ, horns, bass and drums.

Some songs are slower, exploring the band’s wide psychedelic palette. That tempo also lulls the listener into a psychedelic trance that’s finally broken with the seventh track, “Integration.”

The band lets its hair down on the final track, “Mr. Orange,” kicking up the tempo and showing its audience it can still rock out. - Isaac Lopez / 209Vibe street team