The Banks & Steelz story began five years ago, when Paul Banks of Interpol fame and Wu Tang Clan’s head honcho RZA cut a demo together in between chess playing sessions. While the unlikely duo had never planned on releasing a full-length album, fate had different plans.
Listeners may initially be tempted to compare Banks & Steelz to Gorillaz. Banks’ shoegaze-ish riffs and resigned indie rock vocal stylings sound at odds with RZA’s street smart demeanour at first, but as the album rolls on, the method in the madness becomes evident. The trick here is to pull out all stops and enjoy the album, without analysing its discrete constituents.
On Anything But Words, Banks & Steelz seize the opportunity to experiment with fresh ideas while being careful not to become another rock/rap mashup cliche. To that end, RZA keeps things authentic with his raw flow, and doesn’t adjust his style much in order to fit with the album’s often experimental sound.
Wielding their impressive respective talents, both as performers and producers, the duo have arrived at a great mix of sounds on this album. The Wild Season features aggressive emceeing fused with melancholic guitar and synth tunes, and guest vocals by Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine) make this track’s unique sound all the more interesting. There’s also plenty of psychedelic grooves (Conceal) and subdued trip hop vibes (One by One). Sword in the Stone features old-school minimalist production and a few solid verses by rap legend Kool Keith.
Ultimately, Banks & Steels have taken something that’s been done to death and recreated it in a refreshing way. That’s what makes this collaboration work and this album a solid debut.
BY DIMITRI ZRAZHEVSKI
