Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Almost three-and-a-half years after they released Six Rocks, GB and Yeofi Andoh reappeared under their duo alias the Steoples with a fluid if twisting rumination on the ecstasy and agony of a vanishing romance. The veteran underground musicians soon made it known that "Alas Alice" wasn't a metaphor for the Steoples, as their second album, Wide Through the Eyes of No One, landed within a few months. "Alas Alice" reappears here as a bonus track. Although it isn't quite congruous with what precedes it, the song indicated the album's stormy mix of contrasting emotions and sounds, and its effect, a sense of solace -- with a tender overarching message to stay openhearted and resolute -- in response to turbulence. Whereas much of Six Rocks was purposefully undone and structurally oblique, this set is bound tighter, perhaps a consequence of additional live instrumentation, such as the softly buoyant bass of Joel Whitley. No one integrates and modernizes disparate R&B sounds across eras quite like GB and Andoh do here. Late-'60s psychedelic soul, progressive '70s folk-jazz (particularly Terry Callier's), and early-'80s machine soul are all in the mix. In the most energized moments, there are hints of latter-day Masters at Work fusionist dancefloor projects like Nuyorican Soul and Elements of Life, though the constant somber quality in Andoh's transfixing voice is always present, and there are some eerie currents from what sounds like a Mellotron. The sequencing front-loads the material filled with celebratory spirit and renewed appreciation for the sharing of space ("Ain't it natural to sing along?"), illuminated with dancing strings, flickering guitar, and caressing female background vocals. It stars to get real dim around "Lonely Behavior," a chilling ballad of isolation ("When I see my friends, they pixelatin'"). During the second half, the album slips into pitch-black darkness for "Leaning on Me," with Andoh bewailing his "laces left untied" and "face pushed to the ground," but it's drawn beautifully with whirling synthesizers and a layered vocal arrangement evoking the image of the subject being pulled into a vortex. Out of that burbles and churns "The Real Wealth," where Andoh consults an elder and gets some poetic wisdom that rejuvenates his spirit. It isn't the last song on the album proper, but it's the payoff -- a heartening one at that.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133,33/month
The Steoples, Producer, MainArtist - Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker, Composer - Yeofi Anokye Andoh, Composer, Lyricist - 40% Gifted and Blessed (BMI), MusicPublisher - 60% Yeofi Anokye Andoh (BMI), MusicPublisher
2021 Stones Throw Records 2021 Stones Throw Records
The Steoples, Producer, MainArtist - Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker, Author - Gifted and Blessed (BMI), MusicPublisher - Yeofi Anokye Andoh, Lyricist, Author - Yeofi Anokye Andoh (BMI), MusicPublisher
2021 Stones Throw Records 2021 Stones Throw Records
Sebastian Arocha Morton, Author - Joel Whitley, Author - The Steoples, Producer, MainArtist - Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker, Author - Yeofi Anokye Andoh, Lyricist, Author - 10% ROCAsound (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - 30% Gifted and Blessed (BMI), MusicPublisher - 30% Joel Whitley Songs (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - 30% Yeofi Anokye Andoh (BMI), MusicPublisher
2021 Stones Throw Records 2021 Stones Throw Records
The Steoples, Producer, MainArtist - Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker, Composer - Yeofi Anokye Andoh, Composer, Lyricist - 40% Gifted and Blessed (BMI), MusicPublisher - 60% Yeofi Anokye Andoh (BMI), MusicPublisher
2021 Stones Throw Records 2021 Stones Throw Records
The Steoples, Producer, MainArtist - Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker, Composer - Yeofi Anokye Andoh, Composer, Lyricist - 40% Gifted and Blessed (BMI), MusicPublisher - 60% Yeofi Anokye Andoh (BMI), MusicPublisher
2021 Stones Throw Records 2021 Stones Throw Records
The Steoples, Producer, MainArtist - Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker, Composer - Yeofi Anokye Andoh, Composer, Lyricist - 40% Gifted and Blessed (BMI), MusicPublisher - 60% Yeofi Anokye Andoh (BMI), MusicPublisher
2021 Stones Throw Records 2021 Stones Throw Records
The Steoples, Producer, MainArtist - Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker, Composer - Yeofi Anokye Andoh, Composer, Lyricist - 40% Gifted and Blessed (BMI), MusicPublisher - 60% Yeofi Anokye Andoh (BMI), MusicPublisher
2021 Stones Throw Records 2021 Stones Throw Records
The Steoples, Producer, MainArtist - Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker, Composer - Yeofi Anokye Andoh, Composer, Lyricist - 40% Gifted and Blessed (BMI), MusicPublisher - 60% Yeofi Anokye Andoh (BMI), MusicPublisher
2021 Stones Throw Records 2021 Stones Throw Records
The Steoples, Producer, MainArtist - Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker, Composer - Yeofi Anokye Andoh, Composer, Lyricist - 50% Gifted and Blessed (BMI), MusicPublisher - 50% Yeofi Anokye Andoh (BMI), MusicPublisher
2021 Stones Throw Records 2021 Stones Throw Records
Joel Whitley, Composer - The Steoples, Producer, MainArtist - Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker, Composer - Yeofi Anokye Andoh, Composer, Lyricist - 33% Gifted and Blessed (BMI), MusicPublisher - 33% Joel Whitley Songs (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - 34% Yeofi Anokye Andoh (BMI), MusicPublisher
2021 Stones Throw Records 2021 Stones Throw Records
Album review
Almost three-and-a-half years after they released Six Rocks, GB and Yeofi Andoh reappeared under their duo alias the Steoples with a fluid if twisting rumination on the ecstasy and agony of a vanishing romance. The veteran underground musicians soon made it known that "Alas Alice" wasn't a metaphor for the Steoples, as their second album, Wide Through the Eyes of No One, landed within a few months. "Alas Alice" reappears here as a bonus track. Although it isn't quite congruous with what precedes it, the song indicated the album's stormy mix of contrasting emotions and sounds, and its effect, a sense of solace -- with a tender overarching message to stay openhearted and resolute -- in response to turbulence. Whereas much of Six Rocks was purposefully undone and structurally oblique, this set is bound tighter, perhaps a consequence of additional live instrumentation, such as the softly buoyant bass of Joel Whitley. No one integrates and modernizes disparate R&B sounds across eras quite like GB and Andoh do here. Late-'60s psychedelic soul, progressive '70s folk-jazz (particularly Terry Callier's), and early-'80s machine soul are all in the mix. In the most energized moments, there are hints of latter-day Masters at Work fusionist dancefloor projects like Nuyorican Soul and Elements of Life, though the constant somber quality in Andoh's transfixing voice is always present, and there are some eerie currents from what sounds like a Mellotron. The sequencing front-loads the material filled with celebratory spirit and renewed appreciation for the sharing of space ("Ain't it natural to sing along?"), illuminated with dancing strings, flickering guitar, and caressing female background vocals. It stars to get real dim around "Lonely Behavior," a chilling ballad of isolation ("When I see my friends, they pixelatin'"). During the second half, the album slips into pitch-black darkness for "Leaning on Me," with Andoh bewailing his "laces left untied" and "face pushed to the ground," but it's drawn beautifully with whirling synthesizers and a layered vocal arrangement evoking the image of the subject being pulled into a vortex. Out of that burbles and churns "The Real Wealth," where Andoh consults an elder and gets some poetic wisdom that rejuvenates his spirit. It isn't the last song on the album proper, but it's the payoff -- a heartening one at that.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:38:23
- Main artists: The Steoples
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Stones Throw Records
- Genre: Electronic
2021 Stones Throw Records 2021 Stones Throw Records
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.