Timbuk 3 are essentially thought of as a one-hit wonder, and a novelty one at that. But if you really listen to that hit, you realize it is a cogent commentary on the cold war era and blinkered Reaganomics positivity. So the humor is darker and more pointed than most realize. The band’s debut album is character studies and hard luck narratives and winning love songs with folk and blues and Bo Diddley influences. The beats may be programmed, but they suit the hard-won wisdom and tough luck aphorisms. I have the first three albums and they are all exceptional and worthy of rediscovery, so if this turns into a more fulsome essay at some point singing their praises, don’t be surprised.