Isla

Vinyl LP pressing. 2010 release from the British Jazz/World outfit. From a grassroots start in 2005, busking on London's South Bank, Portico Quartet's reputation spread swiftly. Their 2007 debut, Knee Deep in the North Sea, attracted attention from DJs, bloggers and critics, and was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Music Prize. Isla is a thoughtful and richly tuneful collection of nine pieces recorded by producer John Leckie (Stone Roses, Doves, XTC, Radiohead) at Abbey Road studios. Portico Quartet sound like nobody else in Jazz, World or contemporary music. Each of the nine tracks on Isla has a distinct mood and atmosphere, thanks to the use of the hang, a tuned percussion instrument, they have a sound that is instantly attractive, yet uncompromisingly individual. Real World.