National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Dengue Fever has a surprisingly universal appeal. Cambodian vocalist Chhom Nimol comes from a pop music dynasty. Her family is not unlike a Cambodian analog of The Jacksons, regularly seizing 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 '60s- and '70s-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 keeps listeners on their toes, dancing to their way-out tones. —Courtesy Calabash Music