Freedom Party for Insects

Don't let the strange title fool you because you don't qualify for the guest list — the former lead singer of the critically acclaimed '90s indie folk-funk band Devils Wielding Scimitars is a seriously poignant, haunting songwriter when she's not engaging us with her biting, whimsical humor. Blending darkness with guarded optimism and bright irony with cathartic sadness, Callahan's engaging, folk-influenced pop songs have become quintessential under-the-radar hits just screaming out for a wider audience. With the quirky and heartfelt Freedom Party for Insects, her third release for Scared Guy Records, the singer, guitarist, and flutist continues to connect in profound and intimate ways with the help of her husband and longtime musical partner/producer Scott Tyburski. "Never Lonely in Austin" is a gently thoughtful track that captures multiple feelings in its lyrics, from a resolve to be happy that she's moved on, to an eventual admission that she deeply misses the person she left. The clever and wistful title track finds her writing an environmentally conscious tune that, like most of her others, ends up as something of a metaphorical love song. "God of Heartache" is a painfully honest moment of soul searching, trying to reconcile so many tragedies in the news with the notion that there could possibly be a benevolent higher power. Showing off her dark humor, she contemplates what it might be like if "I Built a House for Frank Lloyd Wright." Her ultimate optimism shines through on the percussive country-flavored rocker "We Have a History," which speaks positively about couples who stick it out for years while so many partners run off and have affairs. The bugs are invited, but the rest of us are the ones who are going to have a good time with Callahan.