New Zealand's
Drongos (who eventually uprooted to New York) are a fairly recent posthumous discovery of mine, and unlike a lot of the rather esoteric, sub-sub-genre music I share on here, I'm confident that had I encountered them when this album materialized in 1984, I would've appreciated them as much back then as I do today. I put it that way because I was ridiculously tethered to Top-40 radio back in the early/mid '80s, and even though the Drongos possessed that type of accessibility, they probably would have registered a little left of the dial to warrant copious spins on college stations as well. Recorded over the span of three years (1981-83),
The Drongos falls a bit shy of revelation status, not that the band ever intended for the record to be anything more than a collection of smart and savvy modern pop songs, which it thoroughly is. Offering a few modest nods to technological advances of their era without overindulging in them, this co-ed quartet delivers a wellspring of warm fretboard runs, fetching boy/girl vocals, and a very evident rhythmic aptitude. A big, big thumbs up! RIYL: Let's Active, The Producers, and
The Dads. BTW, a second Drongos album followed in '85 dubbed
Small Miracles, which was as legend has it was recorded live on the street in New York City. You can learn more about the band
here, and even catch up with drummer
Stanley John Mitchell. Enjoy (or not).
01. Eye of the Hurricane
02. Ghost Ship
03. Overnight Bag
04. Closed Doors
05. It Seems
06. Don't Touch Me
07. Life of Crime
08. Step Out
09. Move You
10. Non Citizen
https://rapidshare.com/files/858702467/drongos.rar
