Portico Quartet - 'Isla'

'After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.'

As far as album releases go, I don't think I've ever waited with such anticipation! Although I've heard the tracks from 'Isla' played live at recent gigs, knowing the hard work and thought that has gone in to its production and with the Real World team behind it, I knew I would be in for a suprise. And a marvelous one at that!

Portico Quartet have such a rare quality in their music; it is hard to describe in words. Listening through 'Isla' you are taken on a sonic journey through time and space to ethereal heights, where sounds resonate within and beyond you. In tracks such as 'Line' and 'Isla' I find myself interpreting the sounds as those from nature, the universe, or my inner being. Those sounds that aren't easily expressed but that make sense and encourage you to look at things differently.

I was interested to see what Portico Quartet would do with their second album after the ingenuity and success of 'Knee Deep in the North Sea', and I am so gratified with the result. With each listen I find myself hearing more as the album unfolds, and the well thought-out track order, piano interlude and final improvisation lend perfectly to the album's progression.

Listening to: 'Shed Song' - Portico Quartet