Review Summary: Safe outside of time
Following the breakup of Calgarian post-punk band
Women, its members diverged to create
Viet Cong and the less-publicized no wave act
Cindy Lee. Creative force Patrick Flegel’s delivery is a feminine falsetto,
Sonic Youth-esque guitar work, and a sound reminiscent of early-80s counterculture.
Act of Tenderness is deliberately titled in that it identifies its Holy Grail from the get-go. Whereas
Sonic Youth’s best music was philosophical brooding over then-contemporary life,
Cindy Lee’s latest effort is more singular and personal. On “Power of Possession”, Flegel sings, “
don’t say another word / don’t break my heart in two,” and the message seems undirected; she’s accustomed to heartbreak, and sings into the night, as though her source of distress is the environment she dwells in as much as it is the accompanying people. With follow-up “What I Need”, the tone is also vague, with her vocals distorted and fuzzy. Thick synth pulses give the song consternation, like a recurring lump in one’s throat. The power behind the song is less in the lyrical cohesiveness, but more in how the snippets you
do pick up reinforce the music’s anxious timbre.
While some numbers are more melodious and non-abrasive, there’s plenty of noisy experimentation. On “Quit Doing Me Wrong”, the indignant tone is helpless under a maelstrom of untuned guitars, probably-improvisational bass work, and a progression that ceases as soon as it picks up steam (all too often the reality of such things). “Bonsai Garden” is scary, and it’s uncertain whether the screeches come from Flegel’s instrument, or her throat. “New Romance” features a sensuous vocal melody is buried under a dense layer of guitar feedback. The effect is similar to frustrated shyness, like one who whispers, “
I love you,” when certain their target is beyond earshot. Much of the album relies on this self-inhibiting romantic pursuit - on album highlight "Last Train’s Come and Gone”, the most audible words are, “
can you hear me? / set me free,” rather than the most revealing confessions. It isn’t until “Operation” that
Cindy Lee unshackles, opting for a groovy, danceable number akin to
Molly Nilsson but with more post-punk influence. As with Nilsson’s music, there’s a sense of escapism in yesteryear.
Ironically, the best sense of closure is on penultimate “Wandering and Solitude”. The song seems suited to a just-passing-through barroom, full of those who’ve accepted their lack of direction. Flegel sings, “
tears don’t fall for you,” which represents a significant moment of victory.
Act of Tenderness is full of dark, hitting-a-wall sentiments, so the occasional glimmers of light are all the more revealing. Really, it’s highlight after highlight.
Act of Tenderness is an album of experimentation, heartache, and conflicting nostalgia: the denials and certainties of past nights fuelling both the denials and certainties of future mornings.
