Cindy Lee is the diva alter ego of Patrick Flegel, the singer and guitarist previously known for Toronto experimental rock group Women. Act Of Tenderness, the third Cindy Lee release, pulls warped pop sweetness against hiss, distortion and a persistent sense of unease. The songs lean toward old pop forms without settling into them. “Power And Possession” layers Flegel’s voice into a choir-like girl-group lament, while “New Romance” and “A New Love Is Believing” bring the sugary side of the record into focus.
The rougher turns are just as important. “Bonsai Garden” drags feedback and industrial grind into something close to damaged opera, then stops short of becoming completely bleak. There’s a strange film quality to the whole thing, with the cold, crooked mood pointing more toward Eraserhead than polished pop. It’s a good fit for anyone drawn to noisy guitar music that still cares about melody, or to classic pop drama viewed through a cracked mirror. Originally issued in a small private pressing in 2015, it gets a wider release through W.25TH, the Superior Viaduct imprint, with a vinyl LP available.
