Plunging headlong into their second decade as a band, DENGUE FEVER’s (www.denguefevermusic.com) new album, The Deepest Lake, their fifth full-length of all-new material, comes at a critical juncture in the bands career. In 2013, after forming their own label Tuk Tuk Records, the band crossed over into a brave new world as both artist and record label owner’s. Today find themselves able to wear two hats – as creative musicians with no boundaries as well as label owners who make their own decisions on where, when and how to fabricate their career.
The net result is the aforementioned, The Deepest Lake, a record with more musical diversions than the Mekong River itself. Released in January 27, 2015 – US/Canada & February 2, 2015 in the rest of the world, the ten tracks on The Deepest Lake will satiate longtime fans as well as newcomers looking for something altogether different. Widely recognized for their trademark blend of 60’s Cambodian pop and psychedelic rock, Dengue Fever’s latest release expands their musical palette to include Khmer rap, Latin grooves, Afro percussion, layered Stax-like horns and more.
From the keyboard and percussion heavy opening track, “Tokay”, lead singer Chhom Nimol’s unmistakable bird-like Khmer vocals lead the band on a evolutionary musical journey on The Deepest Lake. Be it the John Doe & Exene boy/girl vocals on “Rom Say Sok” that gets your indie grooves on or the six plus minute psychedelic jam on “Cardboard Castles”, it’s pretty evident that this is a band looking to take chances and not play it safe. By following their instincts on this record and letting many of the final tracks come out of extended jams when demo’ing the album, the band played to their musical strengths. No longer was there a need to ‘find’ a song, the songs on The Deepest Lake came to them.
The band’s newly established independence as both label owner and artist marks yet another chapter in the continual evolution of a group unlike many other bands in the Los Angeles music scene. It all began in 2002 when Dengue Fever formed and released their eponymous debut (2003). Packed chock full of ‘lost’ Khmer covers, the band paid homage to Khmer rock, a hybrid of Vietnam War era surf, psych and classic rock performed by Cambodian giants like Ros Sereysothea, Pan Ron and Sinn Sisamouth.
The bands sophomore release, critically acclaimed sophomore follow-up, Escape from Dragon House (2005) found them writing and performing original material in earnest. Amazon.com named Dragon House the #1 international release for 2005, and Mojo magazine named it in their Top 10 World Music releases of 2006.
In 2008, their third release Venus on Earth became the band's best selling album. It garnered praise from both critics and fans the world over. In fact, Venus on Earth found support from iconic musicians such as Peter Gabriel, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Ray Davies who each made mention of the band in the press.
DENGUE FEVER’s fourth release, Cannibal Courtship (Fantasy Records/Concord Music Group), was released in April 2011 and found the band expanding beyond their usual comfort zone and experimenting with new sounds.
The roots of the band began in the late 1990’s with a 6-month trek through Southeast Asia by Keyboardist Ethan Holtzman. Returning to Los Angeles with a suitcase crammed full of Cambodian cassette tapes, Holtzman and his brother Zac, who had discovered the same music while working at a record store in San Francisco, reunited. The brothers soon bonded over their love of vintage Cambodian rock and in 2002 founded the band with saxophonist, David Ralicke (Beck/Brazzaville); drummer, Paul Dreux Smith; and bassist, Senon Williams (Radar Brothers). Shortly thereafter the members were on hot pursuit for the ideal Cambodian chanteuse to complete their outfit. After a short period of musical courtship that began at a Cambodian nightclub in Long Beach, Ca., Nimol joined the band when she realized the band shared a genuine passion for the music and culture of her homeland.
It’s that cross pollination of Khmer rock, garage rock, psychedelic rock and the British Invasion sound that has pushed the band to heights they could only dream of in 2002. DENGUE FEVER as performed in front of thousands of fans at such noted music festivals as WOMAD (UK, AUS, NZ), WOMEX (Spain), Melbourne Festival (AUS), Glastonbury (UK), Bumerbshoot, (USA), Transmusicales (France), Roskilde (Denmark), Electric Picnic (Ireland), Peace and Love (Sweden), Treasure Island (USA) among many others. Their songs have appeared in films such as City of Ghosts, Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers, The Hangover 2, the Showtime series Weeds, the HBO’s hit series True Blood (who named an entire episode after one of their songs) and featured the band’s music, CBS’ series CSI: Las Vegas and numerous independent documentaries.
With band profiles in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Mojo, Uncut, Magnet, Wired, NPR’s “Fresh Air”, Radio Australia, KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” and "World Café Live", the time is truly ripe for at least another decade of breaking down more musical barriers. The Deepest Lake is the first, glorious musical step in that new direction.
Tiger Phone Card
Dengue Fever Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You live in New York City
But I think about you so so so
So much I forget to eat
It's 4 am I check my email
I'm too geared up to fall asleep
So I write you back and count the days
The first thing that I do
Is throw my arms around you
And never let go
And never let go
I call you from my hotel room
I'm sitting on the hallway floor
I know that we are so so so
So tired my phone card just expired
You only call me when you're drunk
I can tell it by your voice
It's the only time that you
Open up to me and tell me that you love me
The first thing that I do
Is throw my arms around you
And never let go
And never let go
I'm thirty-thousand feet high
Flying through the dead of night
I took an Ambien and you came to visit me
In my dreams
You were bathed in blue light
Floating right in front of me
Your face was so so so
So bright I had to close my eyes to see
The first thing that I do
Is throw my arms around you
And never let go
And never let go
Never let go, oh
Never let go, oh
Never let go, oh, oh
Never let go, oh, oh
Never let go, oh, oh
The song "Tiger Phone Card" by Dengue Fever is a love song that tells the story of two people separated by distance, one living in Phnom Penh and the other in New York City. Despite the distance, the singer thinks about their loved one so much that they forget to eat. The lyrics vividly capture the feeling of longing and the effort it takes to maintain a long-distance relationship, with the singer checking their email at 4 am and counting the days until they can be together again. The chorus "The first thing that I do is throw my arms around you and never let go" emphasizes the intensity of the singer's love and desire to be reunited with their partner.
The song also touches on the struggles of communication in a long-distance relationship. The line "You only call me when you're drunk, I can tell it by your voice" suggests that the two have trouble connecting over the phone and that alcohol may be a way for the partner living in Phnom Penh to open up and express their love. The mention of a phone card expiring also highlights the challenges of staying in touch when physical distance is a barrier.
The third verse is dream-like and surreal, with the singer imagining being visited by their loved one while on a plane, bathed in blue light. The dream sequence emphasizes the powerful emotions and the longing that the singer feels, making it clear that their feelings are not limited to the waking world.
Overall, "Tiger Phone Card" is a touching and heartfelt song that captures the joys and struggles of loving someone from afar.
Line by Line Meaning
You live in Phnom Penh
You reside in Phnom Penh.
You live in New York City
You dwell in New York.
But I think about you so so so
So much I forget to eat
I often reflect on you and it consumes my thoughts so much that I overlook my meals.
It's 4 am I check my email
I'm too geared up to fall asleep
So I write you back and count the days
Until we'll be together
Even though it's very early, I check my email as I am too anxious to rest. Then, I respond to your email and wait for the day when we'll be reunited.
The first thing that I do
Is throw my arms around you
And never let go
And never let go
When we meet, I immediately embrace you and hold you close.
I call you from my hotel room
I'm sitting on the hallway floor
I know that we are so so so
So tired my phone card just expired
I contact you from my hotel while seated in the corridor. We are overly exhausted to the point where my phone card has run out.
You only call me when you're drunk
I can tell it by your voice
It's the only time that you
Open up to me and tell me that you love me
You only ring me when you're intoxicated, and I know this from the sound of your voice. It's the only moment when you speak to me frankly and confess your love for me.
I'm thirty-thousand feet high
Flying through the dead of night
I took an Ambien and you came to visit me
In my dreams
I'm in the dead of night, thirty-thousand feet up in the sky, and after taking an Ambien, you appeared to me in a dream.
You were bathed in blue light
Floating right in front of me
Your face was so so so
So bright I had to close my eyes to see
You looked so beautiful, illuminated in blue light, drifting right in front of my eyes. Your face was so bright that I had to shut my eyes to avoid being blinded.
Never let go, oh
Never let go, oh
Never let go, oh, oh
Never let go, oh, oh
Never let go, oh, oh
Never release your grip, never let go.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID RALICKE, ETHAN HOLTZMAN, NIMOL HOLTZMAN, PAUL SMITH, SENON WILLIAMS, SENON G WILLIAMS, ZACHARY HOLTZMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@platedlizard
This is a great song, both this cover and the original. (Bet you guys didn't know it was a cover... it's true! the original was sung by Ros Sereysothea, who died tragically during the Khymer Rogue era). It's really great to see these classics being sung in the US.
@vivanloslunes7493
:0 gonna search for him
@MaharlikaAWA
Where is the original on youtube? I could not find anything about tiger phone card by ros sereysothea .
@vivanloslunes7493
@MaharlikaAWA https://youtu.be/vkBUyIarFUs
@danmccarthy2481
@MaharlikaAWA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1upwX5OGSg
@kedbreak136
@@MaharlikaAWA https://youtu.be/Vd5npWs8Eoo here’s the original
@AvelUnderWill
I love this song. It's a great contemporary reworking of Sinn Sisamouth & Ros Sereysothea's (rest in power) Yuvachon Yuvatey Samai Tmai
@ToddKaufmann
Wow! I thought Dengue Fever wrote it. It is great--brings me to tears every time I hear it--I know how bad it is to be away from your lover. Now listening to the original has the same effect.
@peter-radiantpipes2800
Seen them live in a tiny venue many times back around 2009-2010. Always great show. Not my typical music choice but broadened what I enjoy.
@soundfxboy
This song and "Seeing Hands" have been running through my head since I first heard them several days ago. I was already a big fan of Ros Serey Sothea and some other Cambodian artists. Now I'm down this band.