Music

   Have you ever heard or listened to Cambodian rock, and no I’m not talking about Holiday in Cambodia. Dengue Fever offers a variety of sounds mostly pulling from Psychedelic and Cambodian Rock styles, the former of which I was totally new to until I plugged myself into a few of the albums that they had to offer on Spotify. Despite the sound which we’ll get to later, the coming of age story of this band is something I think anyone should hear just because it paints a picture of doing your brand of strange passion that may not be widely popular until the fans of it crawl out of the nooks and crannies to rave about it and enjoy it. This is exactly what happened with Dengue Fever, forming in the late 1990s after keyboardist Ethan Holtzman returned from southeast Asia with a new love for Cambodian rock and found a shared love with his brother Zac who had found it at his record store in L.A. After some time the remaining four members came out of the woodwork with their vocalist and Cambodian gem Chhom Nimol who completed the group with her beauty and Cambodian ancestry. Worried that the sounds they adopted may not make waves, they were pleasantly surprised in the early 2000s when they began to catch momentum and released their album, “Escape From Dragon House”. Nearly ten years from their debut and they are set to go on their longest tour ever after a few additional releases under their belt. Actually, after releasing their own Label, “Tuk Tuk Records” in 2013 Dengue Fever has reverted a lot of their own catalog to them and plans on releasing more in-depth cuts and commentary.

   Honing in on the least learned and explored album in their repertoire we plug into “In the Ley Lines” which is actually one of the final albums they released before branching out and experimenting with a wider range of sounds. It’s said Dengue Fever pays homage to Khmer Rock which is a genre not widely known in my neck of the woods but seems to bring a trippy and vibrant sound to the table. Both energetic and easy to listen to, track by track we’re fed dancy rhythms that just bounce along the entire time while vocals which I assume are in a Cambodian dialect overtop. Using instrumental sounds we don’t often hear, we’re left with new experiences in our ears and a yearning for more of this twangy psychedelic tone. Interstellar tones and rocking percussion occupies many of the instrumental breaks within the album, but the tones between tracks do dip and vary nicely. “Tiger Phonecard” for me gives a very secret agent soundtrack feel, funky and elusive in the way the song dips and dives along to the rhythm Dengue Fever has set in place you feel placed in a movie soundtrack and you’re the main character. Whether or not you can understand the words in the songs, the upbeat rhythm is infectious and makes you just wanna get up and dance along with it no matter where you are.

   Critically acclaimed band Dengue Fever has been featured in multiple movies and TV shows like CSI, True Blood, and The Hangover 2. On top of being recognized in popular media, they’ve also played at massive festivals like Peace and Love, Treasure Island, and Electric Picnic. It comes as no surprise that top news journals have done pieces about Dengue Fever and we’re happy to join the fold. Their music can be found on many major streaming platforms, and definitely keep your eye out for their tour dates! I know we will be. 

   Khruangbin is actually Thai for airplane, and this trio sets you on a funkadelic journey in their newest single with Ron Trent titled, “Flos Potentia”. Texas locals, Khruangbin crafts their unique sound in a mostly instrumental format that seems to draw inspiration from the 60s and 70s funk as well as a few other genres. True easy listening music, this track sets you on a sea of clouds floating along to the dreamy synth notes and ever-present drum beats that pump alongside the melodic guitar tones that come through the entire track. 

   Expertly executed, another recent offering from Khruangbin is an EP featuring Leon Bridges titled, “Texas Moon” which incorporates smooth and subtle vocals to their already masterfully crafted chill sound. The trio glides along elegantly through each of their tracks and creates a dreamy atmosphere for the listener. Though they don’t always keep it subtle and chill, we have tracks like B-side with a little more soul and oomph to them that show a speedier mixup in the band’s signature funky sound. “Texas Moon” is actually a sister EP to another 2 years prior titled “Texas Sun”, although Khruangbin used fellow Texan Leon Bridges for this EP they incorporated some of their lyrics into the album “Mordecai”. 

   When adding their own lyric work into their tracks it becomes a new sound all of its own, with the super soft and angelic voice that blends into the dreamy tones the instruments produce that is so definitive of Khruangbin’s sound. A more diverse effort on their part, we see pulls from Latin influences in “Pelota” and plenty more of the 60s and 70s jam and funk influences in the rest of the tracks. This band’s sound has already captured a really wide audience and it very well could be your next favorite, take a chill session and find Khruangbin on Spotify or most of the major streaming platforms for a funky relaxation sensation. 

There are times that the band reminds me of another artist, it becomes fewer and farther between the more underground we get but today Misty Route really hit some callback notes in my brain in a heavy way. It’s not ideal to sound like a carbon copy and luckily Misty Route pulls from a few different directions when they bring us their brand of smooth Psychedelic Rock. The album “Without a Trace” is truly an easy listening list of tracks that set you into hypnosis like that with mesmerizing guitar rhythms accompanying an edgy yet melodic group of vocals sets the stage for the heavier parts this album gets into towards the middle section much like in “Ride Alone”.
With sounds from Tool, Pearl Jam, and even Metallica these guys bring a refreshing take on a nostalgic sound we all love. Starting in Athens, Greece in 2019 Misty Route only has one album out on Spotify but it is more than enough. With a good mix of soft rock tones, psychedelic elements, and even metal breakouts we find ourselves jamming along to the album effortlessly. I think the smooth and subtle rock elements lend themselves to the name of the band as the moments of solace in their tracks set you on … well… A misty route. All jokes aside, the music is truly relaxing and doesn’t let you down as it turns up the energy to showcase the faster technical talent of the band members.
This smooth psychedelic metal hybrid can be found on most streaming platforms, the most recent album debuted on the 26th of December in 2021 and we hope to catch more of what Misty Route has in store for the future.