Cindy Lee | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
Genres | Hypnagogic pop, noise pop, Brill Building, no wave, noise |
Years active | 2012 | –present
Members | Patrick Flegel |
Past members | Morgan Cook |
Cindy Lee is the drag queen hypnagogic pop project of Canadian musician Patrick Flegel, former guitarist and lead singer of Women.
Cindy Lee is most noted for their 2020 album What's Tonight to Eternity? , which was longlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize, [1] and for 2024's critically acclaimed double album Diamond Jubilee , which was also shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize in the same year. [2]
Following the breakup of Women in 2010, Flegel collaborated with Morgan Cook in the band Androgynous Mind, releasing the EP Nightstalker in 2012. [3] From there, the project evolved into Cindy Lee, which sees Flegel recording music primarily alone but continuing to perform with a rotating roster of supporting musicians.
The demo cassette Tatlashea was released by Canadian label Isolated Now Waves on Boxing Day 2012. [4] In 2015 Flegel self-released (via their CCQSK label) the full-length albums Act of Tenderness [5] and Malenkost, [6] both of which were later reissued and received wider distribution in the US and Europe. The compilation cassette Model Express was released by CCQSK in 2018 and pressed to vinyl by W.25th in 2020.
What's Tonight to Eternity? was released in February 2020. Its lead single, "Heavy Metal", was a posthumous tribute to Flegel's former Women bandmate Chris Reimer. [7] Cat O' Nine Tails followed in March 2020. [8]
In 2024, the project released the double album Diamond Jubilee . [9] It received widespread critical acclaim, including the highest score given out by Pitchfork in four years. [10] A tour in support of the album began on April 6, but was canceled on May 4 as the project was set to play Chicago. [11] The album was a shortlisted finalist for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize. [12] Thus far, the album has been officially released digitally via two official channels only: Flegel's own Realistik Studios website [13] – listeners were invited to send payment for a digital copy of the album – and their YouTube channel, via which the album can be streamed in full for free, without ads.
Flegel collaborated with Freak Heat Waves on their 2023 single In A Moment Divine. Flegel also performed as a live member of Freak Heat Waves in 2015 as well as during their 2023/2024 co-headlining North American tours. Steven Lind from Freak Heat Waves also collaborated with Flegel on Diamond Jubilee, co-writing Baby Blue as well as performing production and mixing duties on the record and contributing various instrumentation throughout the record.
In 2024, Flegel collaborated with Deerhunter drummer Moses Archuleta on his second studio album, Cemetery Classics, released under the moniker Moon Diagrams. [14]
The Sadies are a Canadian rock and roll / country and western band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky. Dallas Good, a founding member, died in 2022. Dallas and Travis are the sons of Margaret and Bruce Good, and nephews of Brian and Larry Good, who are members of the Canadian country group The Good Brothers.
Tanya Tagaq, also credited as Tagaq, is a Canadian Inuk throat singer, songwriter, novelist, actor, and visual artist from Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuuttiaq), Nunavut, Canada, on the south coast of Victoria Island.
Chad VanGaalen is a Canadian musician, animator, and artist from Calgary, Alberta.
The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize; the prize was increased to $30,000 for the 2011 award. In May 2015, the Polaris Music Prize was increased to $50,000, an additional $20,000, sponsored by Slaight Music. Additionally, second place prizes for the nine other acts on the Short List increased from $2,000 to $3,000. Polaris officials also announced The Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, an award that "will annually honour five albums from the five decades before Polaris launched in 2006." Details about the selection process for this prize are still to be revealed.
Women was a Canadian indie rock band formed in Calgary in 2008. The group consisted of Patrick Flegel, Christopher Reimer, Matt Flegel and Mike Wallace. Their debut album Women was released on Chad VanGaalen's label Flemish Eye on July 8, 2008 in Canada and on Jagjaguwar in the United States on October 7, 2008. It was rumoured that the band broke up on October 29, 2010, after a fight on stage at a show at Lucky Bar in Victoria, although their management stated that they had merely cancelled the rest of their tour.
Public Strain is the second and final studio album by Canadian rock band Women. It was released on August 23, 2010, via Flemish Eye in Canada and Jagjaguwar in the United States. The album was produced by Chad VanGaalen and recorded during a period of isolation for the band with limited equipment and experimental techniques involved in the 10-month recording process. It has been noted for the key and vocal delivery, unique sound and krautrock style, influence from the Velvet Underground, and numerous genres including post-punk.
Moses Archuleta is an American drummer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the drummer, occasional keyboardist and co-founder of the indie rock band Deerhunter, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums.
Charlotte Cardin is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has been nominated for 14 Juno Awards. In 2022, she received four awards for Artist of the Year, Single of the Year for her song "Meaningless", Pop Album of the Year and Album of the Year for her 2021 debut album Phoenix. Her second album, 99 Nights, was released in 2023.
The Beaches are a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto in 2013 by Jordan Miller, Kylie Miller, Leandra Earl, and Eliza Enman-McDaniel (drums). The band released two EPs titled The Beaches (2013) and Heights (2014) before signing to Universal Records. In 2017, they released their debut album Late Show, which led to the band winning the 2018 Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year.
Jeremy Dutcher is a classically-trained Canadian Indigenous tenor, composer, musicologist, performer and activist, who previously lived in Toronto, Ontario and currently lives in Montréal, Québec. He became widely known for his first album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, which won the 2018 Polaris Music Prize and the Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the 2019 Juno Awards.
Snotty Nose Rez Kids are a First Nations hip hop duo composed of Haisla rappers Darren "Young D" Metz and Quinton "Yung Trybez" Nyce. They are originally from Kitamaat Village, British Columbia. Their 2017 album The Average Savage was shortlisted for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize, and for the Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2019. In 2018, the duo received nominations for Best Hip Hop Album at the Indigenous Music Awards, and for Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Their third album TRAPLINE was released on May 10, 2019 and was later shortlisted for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize. Their fourth album Life After (2021) was shortlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize and was followed by their fifth album I’M GOOD, HBU? in 2022.
Dominique Fils-Aimé is a Canadian singer from Quebec, whose album Stay Tuned! was shortlisted for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize and won the Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020.
Oluwatobi Feyisara Ajibolade, known professionally as Tobi , is a Nigerian-born Canadian singer and rapper signed to RCA Records and Same Plate Entertainment. He released his debut studio album Still in May 2019, his second album Elements Vol. 1 in 2020, and his third album PANIC in 2023.
The 2020 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on October 19, 2020. The longlist was announced on June 15, 2020, with the shortlist following on July 15, 2020 and the winner announced on October 19, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional winner's gala did not take place this year, and instead a special cinematic tribute to the shortlist was streamed online by CBC Music and CBC Gem, following which the winner was announced.
Corridor is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of vocalist and bassist Dominic Berthiaume, guitarist Julian Perreault, guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Robert and drummer Julien Bakvis, with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Samuel Gougoux in live performances. The first francophone band ever signed to the influential indie label Sub Pop, they are most noted for their 2019 album Junior, which was a longlisted nominee for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
What's Tonight to Eternity? is the fifth studio album from Canadian music project Cindy Lee, headed by Patrick Flegel. Released in early 2020 through W.25th, the album was thematically influenced by the life of musician Karen Carpenter, which Flegel related to deeply on a personal level. The stylistically eclectic album was preceded by the release of 2 singles, and received highly positive reviews from critics who have described it as provocative, eerie and haunting. It was notably longlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
99 Nights is the second studio album by Canadian pop singer Charlotte Cardin, released on August 25, 2023, through Cult Nation. Cardin described the album as "a musical diary" and her "soundtrack of [2021] summer".
Bambii is a Canadian DJ and producer, who won the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2024 for her EP Infinity Club.
Diamond Jubilee is the seventh studio album by Canadian band Cindy Lee, the project of musician Patrick Flegel. A double album, it was released on 29 March 2024 on Flegel's own label Realistik Studios, available exclusively on YouTube and GeoCities.
The 2024 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize will be presented on September 17, 2024.