LOW-KEY CYNICISM

“GREETINGS FROM TIMBUK 3.” Timbuk 3. I.R.S. Timbuk 3 consists of a married couple and their omnipresent boom box, on which they play pre-recorded cassettes for backup. That duo--or trio, depending on how you look at it--was at its most charming when playing on a back porch for a recent segment of MTV’s “Cutting Edge” show. Even though studio niceties have replaced the tape player on this debut LP, it captures that back-porch, low-key flavor very nicely. Timbuk 3’s music is basically folk, even more so than R.E.M. and the like, with a strong Dylan influence that sometimes becomes a bit too obvious but also leads to some pointed lines. The laid-back tone wears a bit thin and there are some miscues--like the wrong turn into rap (!) in “Shame on You.” But overall Pat MacDonald and Barbara K’s guitar-harmonica sound, male-female harmonies and gently cynical songs are unique and welcome.