Again, I’m reposting something I
wrote for Savvy, back in the day. I
would occasionally do something on music, especially Indie bands I’d just
discovered and gotten hooked on. Have a
look…
***
That
VOICE
I'll be the first to admit that I
went a little nuts with the videos this week.
That's because I'm blogging about a topic that's really got me revved up.
A little background: I have a huge music collection that I've put
together over the years, mostly by downloading MP3 CDs from Amazon.com. My tastes are very eclectic.
Not long ago, while browsing
Amazon's music store, I discovered, completely by accident, a group called
Dengue Fever, an up-and-coming rock band based in LA, California. I listened to some samples of their work
online and immediately purchased two of their CDs.
Dengue Fever's secret weapon is Chhom
Nimol, a physically tiny Cambodian émigré who has a voice like none that I've
ever heard before. As a matter of fact,
she foregrounds herself as soon as she opens her mouth, and her fellow band
members, the big American guys with their various instruments, fade into the
background. Her vocalizations become the
driving force, moving the music forward.
The other members of DF are back there, somewhere, but I have to try
hard to notice them because that voice is just so enthralling.
This first video is a recording
of Dengue Fever performing my favor song, "Sleepwalking through the
Mekong." The sheer otherworldliness
of Chhom's voice comes through loud and clear in this one. The photo is one of Chhom, the one that
appeared on the CD cover.
As you'll see in this next clip,
she also sings in English and occasionally shares the microphone with Zac
Holtzman, the group's lead guitarist and lyricist. What you'll see is an unplugged rendition of
"Tiger Phone Card" and was shot by an outfit called Balcony TV, as DF
prepped for a gig in Dublin, Ireland.
If, like me, you get hooked,
there are lots of DF videos online, including this
one of a very interesting interview that takes place in the band's practice
space, during a rehearsal break. In it,
you get to see all the group members and hear the story of how DF came together,
got its name, and then discovered Chhom, its STAR.
***
If you’re into experimental rock—it
occurs to me how the application of a label to anything sets up certain
expectations—or whatever you want to call it, you might want to check out the
following bands as well. I’ll make it
easy for you. You’re welcome.
- EMA, especially Past Lives Martyred Saints
- Destroyer, especially Kaputt
- Toro Y Moi, especially Underneath the Pine
- Knox Bronson, especially Pop Down the Years
- Atlas Sound, especially Parallax
- And anything by My Morning Jacket
