It might sound like another brace of female solo artists this week. But Cindy Lee is the stage name for Canadian musician Patrick Flegel, formerly of Women. It’s a strong batch this week – the mainstream maverick Billie Eilish, and the psychedelic lo-fi of Cindy Lee.
Billie Eilish
Hit Me Hard and Soft
2024, 9/10
It’s hard to fault Billie Eilish’s career so far. Her debut presented an artist with a unique vision. Her second record expanded her range. And her third is her best so far, as she’s more confident and in control. Songs like the opener ‘Skinny’ could have fitted into the whispered intimacy of her debut When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? But she confidently belts out other songs like ‘Birds of a Feather’.
Eilish’s main collaborator is her brother Finneas, who surrounds her voice with a range of textures. My favourite song here is ‘Chihiro’, driven by a funky bassline, and punctuated by unexpected synth crescendos. It forms a terrific one-two punch with the warm, breezy ‘Birds of a Feather’.
‘The Greatest’ taps into the vocal jazz influence sometimes present in Eilish’s music. She sounds great hitting the uncomfortably high notes at the end. Following her success with the Barbie soundtrack song ‘What Was I Made For?’ in 2023, ‘Lunch’ shows her pop smarts.
Eilish is classy and keeps getting better with each record.
Cindy Lee
Diamond Jubilee
2024, 8.5/10
If you’ve been following popular music criticism this year, you’ve probably noticed Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee receiving a lot of love. It’s beloved by Pitchfork, Metacritc, and RateYourMusic, one of the best-received records of the decade. A bizarre release strategy has helped it get attention – it was released only on YouTube and GeoCities (!).
Cindy Lee is the cross-dressing alter ego of Patrick Flagel. Flagel was formerly the lead singer and guitarist for Canadian indie rock band Women. Diamond Jubilee relies on Flagel’s fluid guitar chops, providing the focal point for his psychedelic, lo-fi tunes. It’s a sprawling double album, lasting more than two hours. It’s one of those bountiful double albums, where different tunes leap out on each play.
Even though the lo-fi makes it sound samey, there’s an encyclopedic knowledge of music. Sometimes it reminds me of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, like the psychedelia of ‘Glitz’ and the title track. And sometimes the tunes remind me of pre-rock music, like the twangy country guitar on ‘I Have My Doubts’ or the girl group sounds of ‘Golden Microphone’.
If you enjoy the lo-fi sound, Diamond Jubilee is packed with ideas.
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I’m afraid despite my weekly look at new music, I’m afraid Cindy Lee escaped my attention, so I’m glad you called out that artist. Based on my very first impression, “Glitz” sounds intriguing. I also agree there seems to be a bit of a Syd Barrett/early Pink Floyd vibe going on.
There’s a lot of music out there, Cindy Lee been around for ages – I think lots of indie nerds are familiar with their earlier band Woman – but first I’d heard of them.
I like the ramshackle vibe of Cindy Lee.
Both songs sound decent to me. Will have to check out more cuts from them.
I like Eilish a lot – kind of the coolest, edgiest of the current generation of pop stars (if she counts as pop).
I enjoyed the experimental sound of Cindy Lee the best…no doubt. I’m going to check out her album.
Cool, enjoy! Either Geocities or YouTube….