''Anything But Words'' is the debut studio album by Banks & Steelz, a collaborative project between

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...

vocalist Paul Banks and

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

member RZA. It was released August 26, 2016, on

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

. Recording of the album dates back to 2013, with a demo of early material being created two years prior. ''Anything But Words'' features guest appearances by other musicians, as well as other

members, and additional production from

Ari Levine The Smeezingtons were an American songwriting and record production team consisting of Bruno Mars (born 1985), Philip Lawrence (born 1980), and Ari Levine (born May 5, 1984). The Smeezingtons were established in Los Angeles, California; their ...

and

Andrew Wyatt Andrew Wyatt Blakemore is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Manhattan, New York, he began his career playing in New York bands such as The A.M. and Black Beetle. He gained wider notability as the frontman ...

, among others. Five singles were released from the album; " Love and War", featuring

Ghostface Killah Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...

, "Giant", "Speedway Sonora", "Sword in the Stone", featuring

Kool Keith Keith Matthew Thornton (born October 7, 1963), better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American rapper and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, known for his surreal, abstract and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Kool ...

, and "Anything But Words".

Background and recording

When asked by his manager who he would like to work together with musically, RZA responded with

member Paul Banks. When asked about his choice in a 2013 ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' interview, RZA stated that Banks "just has an energy about him" and that "it

ould Ould is an English surname and an Arabic name ( ar, ولد). In some Arabic dialects, particularly Hassaniya Arabic, ولد‎ (the patronymic, meaning "son of") is transliterated as Ould. Most Mauritanians have patronymic surnames. Notable p ...

be great" if the two were to collaborate. In 2011, during which the duo were not planning on making an album together, a demo of material was created with Banks providing vocals over a beat developed by RZA. The first public mention of the duo's collaborations was made in the same ''Rolling Stone'' interview. It was during 2013 that the duo began working on an album together. RZA expected the album to take about a year to finish. During 2014, Banks' main project

recorded a studio album titled ''

El Pintor ''El Pintor'' (Spanish for "the painter"; also an anagram of "Interpol") is the fifth studio album by the American Rock music, rock band Interpol (band), Interpol. It was released through Matador Records and Soft Limit on September 8, 2014, inter ...

'', which was then released in September of that year. The duo wanted to release their material in 2015, but later realized that the material was unfinished.

Release and promotion

The duo premiered the album's lead single, " Love and War", featuring fellow

member

, on the

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

radio station

Beats 1 Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...

. A video for the song, which pays tribute to a scene from the film ''

Reservoir Dogs ''Reservoir Dogs'' is a 1992 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino in his feature-length debut. It stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Tarantino, and Edward Bunke ...

'', was also released the following day. Details for ''Anything But Words'', as well as tour dates, were released on June 9. Also released on that day was the album's second single, "Giant". "Speedway Sonora" was released as the album's third single on July 14. "Sword in the Stone", featuring rapper

, was released as the album's fourth single on July 28 and the album's title track was released as the fifth single on August 12.

Track listing

All songs produced by Paul Banks and RZA except where noted. Credits adapted from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Background and recording

Release and promotion

Track listing

Charts

Release history

Notes and references

External links