''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 Out� ...

, released in 2009.

Background

''Isla'' is

’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

. 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. ...

...

Background

Critical reception

Track listing

EP01 - Abbey Road

Personnel

References