PORTICO Quartet occupy a misty dip somewhere between jazz and world music. Their sound, based in part round the hang drum, is hypnotic and almost ethereal, although at times it does get lost in the fog.
This liltingly cool and occasionally beautiful album, originally released in 2007, was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize (in one of those ‘no chance’ categories). Perhaps oddly, the band has now returned to its debut, this time working with John Leckie, who produced their second album.
This reviewer’s knowledge of the album isn’t strong enough to spot the differences, but Knee-Deep In The North Sea is marked by a haunting air of difference: no one else sounds quite like this.
Opener News From Verona is one of the strongest pieces, alongside the title track and Cittagazze, with its chanted chorus, and Steps In The Wrong Direction, with a stuttered sax finding its melody. At times, everything melds together into a sonic wash, but the effect is mostly pleasing.
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