Edge of Allegiance | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1989 | |||
Length | 40:05 | |||
Label | I.R.S.[1] | |||
Producer | Timbuk 3, Denardo Coleman | |||
Timbuk 3 chronology | ||||
|
Edge of Allegiance is the third album by the American band Timbuk 3, released in 1989.[2][3]
The album's first single was "National Holiday".[4]
The album was produced by Timbuk 3 and Denardo Coleman.[5][6] It was recorded in Austin and mixed in Houston.[7][8] The band employed less overdubbing than on past albums, while also singing the harmonies in the moment.[9] The lyrics were in part influenced by Leonard Cohen; the band started listening to him after Cohen mentioned in interviews his admiration for "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades".[10] Timbuk 3 considered the album to be evenly divided between political songs and relationship songs.[11]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [12] |
Robert Christgau | B+[13] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [5] |
Ottawa Citizen | [15] |
Windsor Star | A−[16] |
Trouser Press wrote: "Oozing sardonic desperation, Edge of Allegiance ... is yet another small triumph of sane, thoughtful songcraft—occasionally labored ('Standard White Jesus') but more often right on the money."[17] Robert Christgau posited that "their songs will remain winsome and wise for as long as the record company puts them out."[13] The Los Angeles Daily News considered the album to be one of 1989's best, calling Timbuk 3 "one of the decade's most underrated acts."[18]
The Windsor Star opined that the band "have a sardonic sense of the absurd but enough compassion so that their music never sinks to mere parody and loses its punch."[16] The Ottawa Citizen noted that "lustre and sophistication have turned the flat street-corner style into something with more depth and nuance."[15] The St. Petersburg Times deemed the album "another cunning collection of sharp-tongued diatribes against political betrayal and social apathy."[19]
All songs written by Pat MacDonald, except where noted.