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''Isla'' is the second studio album by
Portico Quartet
Portico Quartet are an instrumental band from London, UK. They are known for their use of the hang, a modern percussion instrument. Their debut album, ''Knee-Deep in the North Sea'', was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Prize and was '' Time Outâ ...
, released in 2009.
Background
''Isla'' is
Portico Quartet
Portico Quartet are an instrumental band from London, UK. They are known for their use of the hang, a modern percussion instrument. Their debut album, ''Knee-Deep in the North Sea'', was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Prize and was '' Time Outâ ...
’s second studio album and the follow-up to
Knee-Deep in the North Sea
''Knee-Deep in the North Sea'' is Portico Quartet’s 2007 debut album. It was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Prize and was Time Out Magazine’s Jazz, Folk and World album of the year 2007.
Background
The songs for the album were developed ...
, their
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...
-nominated debut album.
The album saw a continuation and refinement of the live acoustic sound developed in
Knee-Deep in the North Sea
''Knee-Deep in the North Sea'' is Portico Quartet’s 2007 debut album. It was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Prize and was Time Out Magazine’s Jazz, Folk and World album of the year 2007.
Background
The songs for the album were developed ...
. While those songs were written busking, the songs for ''Isla'' were written over a period of four winter months in the band’s garden shed. Reflecting this the album has a darker, more introspective tone than its predecessor.
Songs for the album were recorded in May 2009 at
Abbey Road
''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It is the last album the group started recording, although ''Let It Be'' was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly re ...
Studio 2. The album was produced by
John Leckie
John William Leckie (born 23 October 1949) is an English record producer and recording engineer. His production credits include Magazine's ''Real Life'' (1978), XTC's ''White Music'' (1978) and Dukes of Stratosphear's '' 25 O'Clock'' (1985), t ...
. Electronic overdubs and string arrangements were added at Fish Factory Studios.
Artwork and design for the album was done by the drummer Duncan Bellamy, who has a degree in Fine Art from
Central Saint Martins
Central Saint Martins is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of shor ...
. The cover is a painting by Bellamy.
Critical reception
''Isla'' received widespread international acclaim upon its release.
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
highlighted their development in sound and that the album had "exceeded the unreasonable expectations prompted by their impressive debut…it is better focused and better executed…genuinely innovative".
Other reviewers noted the albums darker tone compared to its predecessor.
Jazzwise
''Jazzwise'', launched in 1997, is the UK jazz monthly magazine. ''Jazzwise'' has a broad sub-genre coverage, from jazz, improv, hard bop, and jazz-rock to bebop and classic jazz, and also covers jazz crossover, including jazz-funk, jazz hip-h ...
commenting that it was a "highly atmospheric album" with a "haunting sonic texture" and "brooding ambience" that "is much more focused in intent". The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
described a "deepier, scarier world" and
Music OMH
MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.
History
MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...
called it "hypnotic, sultry and mesmorising".
The album was also acclaimed for its fusing of genres. The
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
praised this "quietly impassioned set of originals that fuse elements of pop, jazz, classical and electronics music…wholly original, 21st century experimentalism that stirs both body and soul".
Pop Matters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fil ...
wrote that "It’s one thing to crisscross musical genres. It’s another to make it sound like second nature" and
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
*Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* '' ...
highlighted the albums "glorious eclecticism…Isla feeds on Steve Reich mathematics, Radiohead dread, African desert grooves and ECM northern melancholy".
Track listing
All songs composed, arranged and performed by Portico Quartet.
# Paper Scissors Stone – 5:27
# The Visitor – 5:31
# Dawn Patrol – 6:00
# Line – 7:30
# Life Mask (Interlude) – 1:16
# Clipper – 6:31
# Life Mask – 7:17
# Isla – 5:09
# Shed Song (Improv. No 1) – 8:23
The second printing of the album added "Subo’s Mental Meltdown" as an additional track. This was originally a bonus download track.
EP01 - Abbey Road
A separate 2009 EP collected together bonus tracks and outtakes from the ''Isla'' sessions.
# The Full Catastrophe - 7:18
# Line (Alternate Take 5) - 8:28
# Cap Gun - 3:09
# Su-Bo’s Mental Meltdown - 5:44
Personnel
Jack Wyllie - saxophones, electronics
Milo Fitzpatrick - double bass
Duncan Bellamy - drums, piano
Nick Mulvey
Nick Mulvey (born 4 November 1984) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He played the hang as a founding member of the band Portico Quartet. In 2011 started his career as a singer-songwriter releasing the EPs ''The Trellis'' (2012) ...
- hang drums, percussion
Produced and engineered by
John Leckie
John William Leckie (born 23 October 1949) is an English record producer and recording engineer. His production credits include Magazine's ''Real Life'' (1978), XTC's ''White Music'' (1978) and Dukes of Stratosphear's '' 25 O'Clock'' (1985), t ...
Mixed by John Leckie and Portico Quartet
Mastered by Steve Rooke at Abbey Road Studios.
String arrangements by Milo Fitzpatrick
Mizuka Yamamoto (violin), David Larkin (violin), Jose Gandia (viola), Greg Duggan (cello)
Painting, artwork and design by Duncan Bellamy
References
{{Authority control
Portico Quartet albums
2009 albums
Real World Records albums