A while back the band Dengue Fever made some stir on here. Certainly did with me...I downloaded
Venus On Earth and went apeshit over it...and still doing so.
But, some updates and corrections...
They are not, strictly speaking, a Cambodian band.
They're from the USA...LA, specifically.
The amazing woman doing those amazing lead vocals IS Cambodian, she DOES sing primarily in Khmer, and the band DOES emulate the sounds of Cambodian pop music.
But other than the lead singer, the rest of the band is 'Merkin. They found Chhom Nimol while combing LA's Little Phnom Penh looking for a female singer who could complete the authentic sound they wanted. Turns out she had been a major pop star in Cambodia, from a family regarded there as musical royalty.
The band got its name- and its start- from one of the founders' trip to Phnom Penh with a friend. The founder (now their organist) came home with a pile of cheap bootleg cassette tapes that formed the band's kernel of inspiration, and the friend came home with- you guessed it- dengue fever contracted via mosquito bite.
And there we have it. If you haven't found this album yet...keep lookin'.