Cindy Lee's Diamond Jubilee: A Sonic Mirage

Cindy Lee's latest offering, "Diamond Jubilee," is a monumental two-hour album featuring 32 distinct tracks. This work immerses listeners in a soundscape described as a foggy transmission from a rock'n'roll netherworld, complete with its own spectral hits. The album's spiritual core lies in girl group music, refracted through an experimental lens and extending across the radio dial.

"Diamond Jubilee" ventures into diverse genres, including warped classic rock, fragmented disco, and sunburnt psychedelia, alongside nocturnal synth-pop. Some tracks evoke unique comparisons, such as "Darling of the Diskoteque" sounding like a Tom Waits and Marc Ribot collaboration, or "Le Machiniste Fantome" reminiscent of a fictional film score. Despite its idiosyncrasies, the music consistently conveys pop's archetypal yearning.

This sprawling collection is the work of Cindy Lee, the glammed-up alter ego of Patrick Flegel, formerly of the influential Canadian post-punk band Women. Flegel, known for pushing boundaries, has independently released previous Cindy Lee albums. "Diamond Jubilee" continues this outsider ethos, eschewing traditional promotion and distribution.

"Diamond Jubilee" was self-released with no promotional campaign. Listening options include downloading WAV files from a Geocities website for a $30 donation or streaming a single 2-hour YouTube video. Unlike previous works, this album features more immediate and inviting songs, with a refined sound fidelity that avoids noisy assaults.