Dengue Fever

Mon., July 7, 8 p.m., $10, with Chicha Libre, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 Frankford Ave., 866-468-7619, johnnybrendas.com.

by M.J. Fine

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Published: Jul 2, 2008

rock/pop

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Over the course of three albums, Dengue Fever has evolved from a frisky quickie between a Cambodian pop chanteuse and California surf-rock boys into a solid union based on shared values and two-way communication. Their latest, Venus on Earth (M80), shows the Los Angeles sextet as nimble as ever, with moodier grooves and a deeper connection between frontwoman Chhom Nimol and guitarist Zac Holtzman. The singers' flirtation spans two continents on the English-language "Tiger Phone Card"; even better is the slinky "Sober Driver," in which he gets wise to her feminine wiles. More often, though, Nimol sings alone and in Khmer, most seductively on the horn-y "Laugh Track." Time seems to stop when she pines for a long-gone love, and you don't need to be bilingual to catch her drift. Her keening voice drips with yearning and regret, in whichever tongue suits her at any given moment. But, as the Farfisa-driven instrumental "Oceans of Venus" proves, Dengue Fever's charms transcend words.

Mon., July 7, 8 p.m., $10, with Chicha Libre, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 Frankford Ave., 866-468-7619, johnnybrendas.com.

 

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