On Cindy Lee's Diamond Jubilee

Cindy Lee is the drag-alter ego of Canadian musician Patrick Flegel. If you are into Indie music at all then surely you have come across these four words in the past month: “Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee”. It has become a beacon of hope for music lovers. And with Pitchfork giving it a whopping 9.1, the highest score in the past four years, it’s no wonder the hype is real.

A double LP consisting of over two full hours of music. Only available on Youtube in it’s entirety or to buy from a freshly made Geocitie’s website. And the download is hosted on a remake of Megaupload. It's like bottling up pure nostalgia. Not to mention creating a sense of exclusivity at the same time.

It’s a middle finger to the current music industry and the way we consume music. No Spotify or Apple Music - you can either donate and download the record, or stream it here. This alone gives grace to the project. Clearly Flegel doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the music industry or having a runaway record. Perhaps this is what makes the record such a gem.

Diamond Jubilee is modern and new, but feels old and timeless alike. It’s reminiscent of your mom or dad’s favorite 50s or 60s pop record. It gives a strong sense of timelessness. The songs are your favorite songs from that vinyl that you didn’t even know you had. It’s the record the Velvet Underground never released. Get the picture?

Focusing in on saturated tones, enveloped guitars, and bright vocals the record uses it’s instruments tastefully and only to the bare minimum of necessity. There might only be a guitar, snare drum, vocals and bass guitar and yet it feels completely full and balanced. The melodies whimsical and dreamy make you feel like you have found zero gravity.



I was a little hesitant going in, but it held up. It has been a minute since I last heard a record and truly felt inspired. Over 60,000 songs are uploaded to Spotify a day alone. It is hard to find music that really ticks all the boxes. Something that makes you want to fire back up the tape machine and have a rouse. Well I have to say, Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee is about as close to a 10 as one can get. Give it a spin.