Yesterday I had an overwhelming longing for Southeast Asia. This is slightly odd, considering that when I was in Southeast Asia in the fall, the travel was a little intense; but isn’t the grass always greener on the other side? Since returning I have come to realize that deep down I loved it, enough that I miss it. A lot. So there I was on Sunday night, desperately missing Cambodia. As I read through travel guides to Phnom Penh on Travelhappy I had the urge to find some non-profit, book a ticket, and cross the Pacific as soon as possible. Instead I cam across Dengue Fever. Not the disease, but the band.

Based out of Los Angeles, the band mixes Cambodian pop music with a whole lot of other sounds, mainly rock influenced, to create a sound that is pretty great. The group is five American alternative rockers, headed up by a female Cambodian singer, Chhom Nimol. Basically the music is a lot of Khmer lyrics mixed with some alternative, psychedelic, and dance sounds, providing for a different kind of World Music.

To feed your need for Cambodia, you can check them out on their Myspace page or at Last.fm.