Cambodian Rocks

Many people like to keep their favorite bands to themselves, only sharing their prized fan-dom with their closest friends, I suppose we all want to have access to the people and things we love most, and feel that standing in the back of a line to see what one discovered by chance rather than through...more mass media is a humiliating thought. One such band which I keep close to my chest is Dengue Fever.

It's hard not to dance when listing to Dengue Fever--which is not surprising--but what is surprising is that their sound is inspired by 1960s Vietnam-war-era form of Cambodian rock called "Khmer Rock", a pop genre that was huge in Cambodian but has only recently come to the radios, and ipods of North America. Here's the thing, Dengue Fever is a L.A. based group who's infectious sound is a not only fueled with a tank of Khmer Rock but is also lined with cool quilting of Southeast Asian pop, Vietnam-war-era lounge music, klezmer, ska, surf rock, and Ethiopian jazz. Anyway, I think it would be fine if Dengue Fever became big here in the States, so there.

And what about you, what band are you keeping to yourself, send me a complement and tell me ;)