After a few false starts, a last minute title change, and some unforeseen technical difficulties (thanks Dropbox!) only heightened our feverish anticipation, Cindy Lee’s long-awaited, sprawling, 32-song triple LP masterpiece is finally here. One could convincingly argue that this album cements Pat Flegel’s status as the best guitarist of this century; but inventive, transcendent playing with endless hooks and otherworldly guitar tones aside, Diamond Jubilee is a legit timeless psych-pop masterpiece. Gone for the most part are the dissonant feedback freakouts that marked Cindy Lee’s previous classics, supplanted here by lost hit after ethereal hit, brilliant songwriting sparkling with sublime, endlessly haunting melodies and romantic, viscerally bittersweet lyrical sentiment, all transmitted through an eerie, vintage lo-fi sonic haze so transportive you might forget what decade it is. Between this record, Mk.gee’s dazzling debut, and Jessica Pratt’s career-best new album all dropping within a span of a few months, 2024 has already been a banner year for gorgeous guitar-centric (to varying degree) pop/rock records that feel like uncannily out-of-time-and-place instant classics, with Diamond Jubilee resetting the absurdly high bar. Either disc on its own would absolutely be my album of the year at this point, so together in its entirety, it’s just a staggering work. Listen below + buy the album directly from Cindy Lee at one of the stops on their North American tour starting next week, or right now on geocities.
