Cindy LEE : Diamond Jubilee / Cat O’ Nine Tails / What's Tonight To Eternity / Model Express / Act Of Tenderness / Malenkost (W.25TH repress 2025)
Eté 2025, été particulier, je l'ai passé à écouter les disques de Cindy LEE (Toronto). Comme un ado dans un coin de sa chambre. Tous. Je n'avais pas du tout compris cette musique à la première écoute, j'avais rapidement passé mon chemin... 'Encore du miel de poil de couilles' que j'ai du me dire... Mais non... non...non... Je ne sais pas comment j'y suis revenu mais le talent de ce personnage au centre de Cindy LEE m'a éclaté au visage.
A contexte particulier (ma mère mourante), musique particulière. Le plus dingue, c'est que j'y suis rentré par un de ses plus beaux, le 'Cat O’ Nine Tails' (2020), génial, magnifique, incroyable pour tous ceux qui aiment la pop de caractère. C'est lui qui fut la pierre de rosette de ce merveilleux personnage qui fut cet homme dans WOMEN (Le canadien Patrick Flegel) et qui est cette femme dans Cindy LEE.
En bon Champollion, je me les suis tous faits, j'en ai chialé des heures, il y a des musiques et des moments comme çà, il faut bien une larme pour donner naissance à un lac de nostalgie.
Reviens violon des violonades, la mémoire et la mer, les arpèges et la télécaster, cette pédale qui TRANSforme la voix d'homme en femme et puis ce son mi-sixties mi-lofi qui fait mouche à chaque coup.
Sur ce 'Cat O’ Nine Tails', MOZART se prend pour DANIEL JOHNSTON, ces sons de violons qu'on dirait pitchés ont quelque chose autant décalés que touchants. La musique de Cindy LEE est sombre et expérimentale, et puis d'un coup d'un seul, madame embraye sur un slow sixties façon crooner. En piste, c'est le quart d'heure américain.
Le pire, c'est que tous ses disques sont du même acabit, les premiers sont peut être plus barges, expérimentaux mais il y a toujours cette mélodie chaude comme la braise qui fait son effet.
Ensuite, j'ai embarqué par le bien étrange et très lofi 'act of tenderness' (2015), puis 'Malenkost' (2015) et 'model express' (2018) où la guitare complètement lofi, craquante et bien destroy côtoie des larsens et des samples d'outre espace.
Bien sûr, comme à l’accoutumée, une popsong sixties apparait dans des arpèges de la fender qui a déjà un sacré passé de composition. Que bella. A mourir.
J'en suis devenu un vieux fan. Mater moi ce concert dans un bar sur youtube, ce climat, ce truc à la Twin Peaks des bas fonds, cette boîte à rythmes et ces morceaux qu'on entend sur le terrible 'What's Tonight To Eternity' (2020) . Ecoute 'lucifer stand' si tu veux faire danser. Et puis tiens ce 'i want you to suffer' si tu n'en peux plus de la pluie. T'auras le climat et la chaleur pernicieuse en plus. Ambiances sixties bien folles. J'entends des voix. C'est pas de la schizophrénie, on vit toujours avec des morts comme dit Léo FERRE.
Cindy est généreuse dans ses mélodies, autant torturées qu'attendrissantes, elle a appris à marier le crade et le beau et puis ses coups de cafard activent un sérieux besoin de miel, et d'attention, des mélodies qui cherchent la communion , une chanson contre un espoir.
J'ai même lu que DAHO encensait son dernier disque, le triple LP 'Diamond Jubilee' (2024). Pas cher. Un disque encore et toujours hyper beau en oubliant un peu les punkitudes grinçantes de sa jeunesse mais qu'importe, les mélodies sont toujours aussi craquantes et si l'on parle vieille gloire et jeune gens modernes, alors que je reste très hermétique à Julie CRUISE, notre amie Cindy LEE ici présente m'embarque à chaque fois dans les nuages.
Je me rend compte en discutant avec les copains les plus ouverts que Cindy LEE fait l'unanimité pour beaucoup et bien je dois dire qu'ici aussi, notre Cindy LEE on l'adore.
Pour info W.25TH est une sous-division de Superior Viaduct de San Francisco.
Cat O’ Nine Tails (14 avril 2020):
Originally released as an edition of 50 lathe-cut LPs housed in silk-screened jackets in 2020 (fast on the heels of What's Tonight To Eternity), Cat O' Nine Tails has long intrigued die-hard Cindy Lee fans with its combination of the classic songwriting that would dominate Diamond Jubilee a few years later and an actual suite of classical songs under the title itself.
Opening with the gothic soap opera theme of "Our Lady Of Sorrows" into the manic exploration of "Cat O' Nine Tails," onto the dusty western walk through Patrick Flegel's lovely guitar work on "Faith Restored," the album seems to soundtrack the coolest movie the late '60s ever produced. All of this builds to the lush and sweeping ballad of bruised hearts that introduces that beautiful voice via "Love Remains."
Side Two sees 2024 live show closer "Cat O' Nine Tails III" complete the suite to epic effect, before introducing the absolute showstopper that is "I Don't Want To Fall In Love Again." It is tender and fragile in that way that only Flegel can make both familiar and unique. Closing with the ethereal soul shuffle stomp of "Bondage Of The Mind," the album showcases nine songs from an essential time in the Cindy Lee evolution.
Opening with the gothic soap opera theme of "Our Lady Of Sorrows" into the manic exploration of "Cat O' Nine Tails," onto the dusty western walk through Patrick Flegel's lovely guitar work on "Faith Restored," the album seems to soundtrack the coolest movie the late '60s ever produced. All of this builds to the lush and sweeping ballad of bruised hearts that introduces that beautiful voice via "Love Remains."
Side Two sees 2024 live show closer "Cat O' Nine Tails III" complete the suite to epic effect, before introducing the absolute showstopper that is "I Don't Want To Fall In Love Again." It is tender and fragile in that way that only Flegel can make both familiar and unique. Closing with the ethereal soul shuffle stomp of "Bondage Of The Mind," the album showcases nine songs from an essential time in the Cindy Lee evolution.
What's Tonight To Eternity (2020) :
For Patrick Flegel, Cindy Lee is more than just a recording music project. "Singers like Patsy Cline and The Supremes carried me through the hardest times of my life," explains Flegel, "and also provided the soundtrack to the best times."
Following the dissolution of Canadian experimental indie band Women, Flegel would delve deeper into songwriting that bends further toward high atmospherics and bracing melodies – a unique space where splendor naturally collides with experimentation. Delivering moments of sheer beauty through somber reflections on longing and loneliness, Cindy Lee is something to hold onto in a world of disorder.
What's Tonight To Eternity, Cindy Lee's fifth long-form offering, showcases the project's most entrancing strengths: ethereal snowdrift pop and sly nods toward classic girl-group motifs. Recorded at Flegel's Realistik Studios in Toronto and featuring younger brother Andrew Flegel on drums, the album travels hand in hand with a spectral guide.
Flegel found inspiration for Cindy Lee in the form of Karen Carpenter, drawing on the singer / drummer's early recordings as well as her look and style. "I found a deep interest and comfort in Karen's story, which is a cautionary tale about the monstrosity of show business, stardom at a young age and being a misfit looking for connection. The darkness and victimizing tabloid sensationalism she suffered is easily tempered and overwhelmed by her earnest output, her artistry, her tireless work ethic. Something utterly unique and magical takes shape in the negative space, out of exclusion. What I relate to in her has to do with what is hidden, what is unknown."
What's Tonight To Eternity remains a mix of pop culture indoctrination, pain and suffering, hopes and dreams, fierce confrontations and wide-open confessional blurs. Closing with the song "Heavy Metal" (dedicated to the memory of former Women bandmate Chris Reimer) and adorned by Andrea Lukic's Journal of Smack artwork, the album continues the bold and rewarding path on which Cindy Lee has embarked.
Following the dissolution of Canadian experimental indie band Women, Flegel would delve deeper into songwriting that bends further toward high atmospherics and bracing melodies – a unique space where splendor naturally collides with experimentation. Delivering moments of sheer beauty through somber reflections on longing and loneliness, Cindy Lee is something to hold onto in a world of disorder.
What's Tonight To Eternity, Cindy Lee's fifth long-form offering, showcases the project's most entrancing strengths: ethereal snowdrift pop and sly nods toward classic girl-group motifs. Recorded at Flegel's Realistik Studios in Toronto and featuring younger brother Andrew Flegel on drums, the album travels hand in hand with a spectral guide.
Flegel found inspiration for Cindy Lee in the form of Karen Carpenter, drawing on the singer / drummer's early recordings as well as her look and style. "I found a deep interest and comfort in Karen's story, which is a cautionary tale about the monstrosity of show business, stardom at a young age and being a misfit looking for connection. The darkness and victimizing tabloid sensationalism she suffered is easily tempered and overwhelmed by her earnest output, her artistry, her tireless work ethic. Something utterly unique and magical takes shape in the negative space, out of exclusion. What I relate to in her has to do with what is hidden, what is unknown."
What's Tonight To Eternity remains a mix of pop culture indoctrination, pain and suffering, hopes and dreams, fierce confrontations and wide-open confessional blurs. Closing with the song "Heavy Metal" (dedicated to the memory of former Women bandmate Chris Reimer) and adorned by Andrea Lukic's Journal of Smack artwork, the album continues the bold and rewarding path on which Cindy Lee has embarked.
Model Express (2018) :
Model Express a collection of B-sides and lost hits, first appeared as a self-released edition of 100 gold cassettes. The arch, filmic drama of Cindy Lee's songwriting – realized with keyboards, guitars, aching voice and collaged, lo-fi production – traverses a wide range of emotional and sonic terrain. The red velvet psych-pop of "What Can I Do" gives way to the fluid "Diamond Ring" like radio bursts from space. Model Express finds Flegel at both their most experimental and immediately melodic, and this first-time vinyl release recognizes the collected tracks as a pillar in the Cindy Lee catalogue.
Act Of Tenderness (2015) :
Cindy Lee is the diva alter-ego of singer / guitarist Patrick Flegel, the one-time captain of heralded Canadian experimental guitar pop act, Women. In Flegel's working on / as Cindy Lee exclusively over recent years, their songwriting makes a move toward high atmospherics, often achieving a mysterious sweetness rooted equally in beauty and ache.
As Cindy Lee's third long-form statement, Act Of Tenderness makes use of antipodal themes to create a living sound: static with grace, distortion and sugar, all masterfully arranged with crooked nods toward pop classicism. The layered vocal on "Power And Possession" creates a palpable haunt, bringing historical girl-group lament to choir-esque heights. The feedback shriek and industrial grind of "Bonsai Garden" provides near-operatic damage, yet never stumbles into the irrevocably grave. These snowy pieces give the album a decidedly cinematic feel, albeit one bent more towards Eraserhead.
As Cindy Lee's third long-form statement, Act Of Tenderness makes use of antipodal themes to create a living sound: static with grace, distortion and sugar, all masterfully arranged with crooked nods toward pop classicism. The layered vocal on "Power And Possession" creates a palpable haunt, bringing historical girl-group lament to choir-esque heights. The feedback shriek and industrial grind of "Bonsai Garden" provides near-operatic damage, yet never stumbles into the irrevocably grave. These snowy pieces give the album a decidedly cinematic feel, albeit one bent more towards Eraserhead.
Malenkost (2015) :
On Malenkost, Flegel combines everything that makes Cindy Lee so essential: heart-wrenching romantic pleas, rough shards of noise and twilit ballads. Featuring the lo-fi pop single "A Message From The Aching Sky," Malenkost sounds like Deerhunter playing The Supremes or vice versa.
