Edge of Allegiance

In many ways, Edge of Allegiance presented Timbuk 3 at a crossroads. It was their last album as a duo (1991's Big Shot in the Dark would find them replacing their well-worn drum machine with a real-life rhythm section), so it was a transitional effort in that respect, but it also brought to fruition the musical maturity and sense of nuance that had been blossoming since the pair's 1986 debut. No longer were Pat and Barbara K. MacDonald singing merely about the personal or the political; they were combining the two, and at times using one as a metaphor for the other, with multi-layered songs like the incisive "Standard White Jesus" (perhaps Timbuk 3's crowning achievement), "B-Side of Life," and "Acid Rain." Rhythms were becoming more complex, presumably as a result of the contributions of jazz percussionist Denardo Coleman, who produced the album; the snaky, Latin-leaning "Standard White Jesus" left barely a hint that Timbuk 3 was still in possession of its famed drum machine. As such, Edge of Allegiance was Timbuk 3's least funky record; only "Count to Ten" kept that aspect of the band's sound intact. But Pat MacDonald's lyrical observations and facility with wordplay were razor sharp here, and as a collection of intelligent pop songs, the album ranks with the best of its period. In three short verses, "Wheel of Fortune," sung by both vocalists over a stark guitar accompaniment, sums up the bittersweet reality of relationships more elegantly than do most songs given twice as much space.