American rock n roll had a hold on 1960s Cambodia which even the worst ravages of the Khmer Rouge could not entirely loosen. All but destroyed by that brutal regime and the years of economic hardship that followed, when the Cambodian music scene eventually came back to life, Khmer versions of those vintage US pop songs surfaced alongside traditional folk as the soundtrack for the country’s re-emergence. Dengue Fever’s delirious pop plugs into that sound and brings it rocking n swirling into 2008 with Venus On Earth, the third album by the Los Angeles six-piece. Led by brothers Ethan and Zac Holtzman and with Cambodian singer Chhom Nimol centre stage, Dengue Fever’s unexpected combinations of influences make for a heady brew. With psychedelic surf guitar, Cambodian pop tuning, Bollywood spins and Ethiopian soul, the album is rich with retro stylings and a fearless taste for drama which give their original songs more than a twist of kitsch. The opening track ‘Seeing Hands’ is an immediate immersion in the power of Nimol’s high, super-expressive voice. Over a driving guitar and sax groove, that luminous melody is both ethereal and edgy. From the upbeat poppy ‘Woman In The Shoes’ to the west-coast ballad ‘Monsoon of Perfume’ and the spaghetti riffs of ‘Oceans of Venus’, Venus On Earth is a totally assured, celebratory album loaded with surprises. Cambodian American pop? Seriously fun.