I've got the fever for the flavor of Dengue, or something like that.

Dengue Fever has surprisingly universal appeal. Vocalist Chhom Nimol, whose family is a pop music dynasty, not unlike a Cambodian analog of The Jacksons, regularly seizes the hearts of listeners (including the King and Queen of Cambodia). Zac Holtzman (Dieselhed) and his brother Ethan on Farfisa organ, Senon Williams (Radar Brothers), David Ralicke (Beck) and the seasoned drummer/engineer Paul Smith stay remarkably true to the crazy party music spirit of the '60's- and '70's-era material they perform, while their originals veer off into the darkened corridors of lost love and ghostly noir romanticism, dissolving into spaces of genuine bleakness and tragedy.

[ Dengue Fever ]

I'm loving the new global pop scene, or as I like to call it Pop 2.0. These guys have an infectious, funky, exotic sound without sounding so far off that you can't figure heads from tails. Like the Fantastic Plastic Machine and Pizzicato 5 that I've been digging lately, Dengue Fever has a retro chic that I just can't shake.

Props go out to the Koosh Moose, who would have blogged about them, but I only gave him about 18 hours to do so, and he's a busy guy.