Edge of Allegiance
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| 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]
Critical reception
| 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]