Fresh from their debut single, a collaboration with Krautrock legend Harald Grosskopf, which London based sonic pioneers Standard Planets are all set to release their much anticipated second single ‘Dumbo Dumbo’, a reworking of an unreleased Arthur Russell track. The single will be released digitally and on a very special limited edition cassette on 4th August. ‘Dumbo Dumbo’ and ‘Miracle’ can both be heard below.

The new track is a collaboration with Arthur’s Landing, a collective of musicians who worked
extensively with legendary avant-disco producer Arthur Russell, and it’s got a back story
worthy of its musical lineage. The groundwork for ‘Dumbo Dumbo’ was completed (but
never actually committed to tape) by Arthur Russell during the infamous CBS/Dinosaur L
recording sessions of 1978 but, for reasons unknown, was shelved at the last minute.
But, with the help of Arthur’s Landing, Standard Planets have pieced together the remnants
of this long forgotten gem and coalesced them into the track as it is today, which also
happens to be the only known recording of this song.

Simply put, ‘Dumbo Dumbo’ is an adventure. It possesses all the hallmarks of a song that
could only have come from the mind of Arthur Russell himself, resplendent with a dark
mysticism encapsulated in the swirling synth refrains and propulsive, textured rhythms. But
it also bears the heavy fingerprints of Standard Planets and their unique ability to build on
those musical foundations to create a towering piece of sonic maximalism.
The b-side, entitled ‘Miracle’, is no less worthy of note. The slow, steady percussion is
enveloped with stabs of trumpet and a deep, resonating brass section, overlaid with
hypnotic, reverb drenched vocals. All of which infuses the track with an otherworldly, sultry
tone worthy of the likes of Talk Talk.

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