Isla

Portico Quartet are an instrumental music ensemble from the UK, but nothing about them sounds overtly English. Their sound is comprised of saxophone and auxiliary percussion matched to a conventional rhythm section, yet they are not jazz. Their new album Isla comes to us courtesy of Peter Gabriel’s Real World label, yet any implications of this being considered “world music” feels too broad, generic, and undermining. Isla is also produced by John Leckie, but it has nothing to do with Public Image Ltd., XTC, or the Stone Roses. So just who in the name of warm lager and Abbey Road studios are these guys, and what exactly is their style?