Dump "Easter Dress/Almost Home" 7 inch (Favorite Things/1997)

For those unaware Dump is the solo home recording project of James Mcnew of Yo La Tengo and since the early 90s he has released a litany of releases ranging from full length albums, eps, singles and comp tracks all on obscure tiny boutique labels under this moniker. He released a few things on the legendary Shrimper including the notorious indie cult classic That Skinny Motherfucker With the High Voice which is an album entirely made of Prince covers. Early on he released a 10 inch called International Airport on Steve Shelley's ( of Sonic Youth fame) Smells Like Records. The music of Dump I think is best summed up in Mcnew's own words as the liner notes of the album A Plea for Tenderness, "Recorded mostly while wearing pajamas on a Tascam Porta 5 cassette machine...".  So namely Mcnew's Dump project is a home recording project that showcases lo fi bedroom pop with forays into drone and ambience.Through the course of the Dump discography one can certainly hear the Yo La Tengo sound pouring into this side project's overall sound but that is to be expected. Dump's releases while scattered and for the most part obscure can certainly be found and we you can you can find them on the cheap side. A browse through the Amazon or Ebay turns up several copies of the cd releases while vinyl and cassette releases seem a little bit harder to come by. I highly recommend any of Dump's music but I would say the best place to start would be with the aforementioned A Plea For Tenderness on Brinkman Records. Or with this post...

And in regards to this offering the 7 inch that I am sharing today is a imported single from the Japanese label Favorite Things. The packaging is just like the music on the record- bare and warm. Mcnew excels in penning sincere, fragile pop music that captures a spirit of longing and a heart pouring out. The song "Easter Dress" musically is a bit more jangly and upbeat than the flipside of "Easter Dress" which a somber series of droning chords but both songs pull on the heart strings, hard.

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