Following two LPs of warmly detailed, electronically imbued folk-pop, Sheffield native Sam Genders -- who records under the name
Diagrams -- returns with
Dorothy, a more understated effort that finds him collaborating with American poet Dorothy Trogdon. While projects that cross genres and even artistic mediums aren't uncommon, there is a uniqueness in
Dorothy's cross-generational appeal which combines the literary perspective of a 90-year-old poet from the Pacific Northwest with that of a significantly younger singer/songwriter from Britain. After receiving Trogdon's only book, Tall Woman Looking, as a gift from a friend, Genders felt compelled to reach out to her and the two soon became the unlikely co-creators of this elegant little album.
Dorothy is bookended by two versions of Trogdon's lovely poem "Under a Graphite Sky," the first an ornate musical exploration sung in Genders' hushed style and the second an outdoor field recording read by the poet herself. In between are seven tracks that range from spare semi-organic meditations ("It's Only Light" and "Crimson Leaves") to lush indie pop exaltations ("I Tell Myself" and "Wild Grasses"), with each one accenting a different hue of the poet's warm introspections. A longtime resident of Orcas Island, the largest in Washington's dazzling San Juan archipelago, Trogdon's work is deeply reverent of nature and filled with the accumulated wisdoms and philosophies of a life lived in such remote and dramatic environs. Occasionally, Genders' musical adaptations verge on becoming overly fussy, but for the most part, the contributions of each partner are pleasantly transformed by this strange affair. [
Dorothy was also released on LP.] ~ Timothy Monger