Knee-Deep In The North Sea

In 2007 Portico Quartet moved from busking on the South Bank in London to a recording studio and, with the remains of the money from their student grants, created their first album, 'Knee Deep In The North Sea' (released on Babel/Vortex). This was a turning point for the band, the album attracted attention from DJs, bloggers and critics of every stripe, and was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Music Prize.

Remodelled version of 2007 Mercury-shortlisted debut...
John Leckie...has added depth and detail to lend a more complexly wrought studio texture to the original record's more austere charm.
Uncut (UK)

Knee-Deep In The North Sea Review
John Leckie, who produced their second album, has subtly tweaked the mix, turning down the saxophone in places, pumping up the bass. The tunes are just fine: the stately waltz of Pompidou, the reggae shuffle of Prickly Pear. But it is the 20 minutes of added live tracks that make this a potential repurchase. Best is a version of the title track, recorded in Copenhagen, which builds the drama with a long, trippy opening and free-form sax climax. It shows how the quartet's confidence to let the music breathe on-stage has grown.
MOJO (UK)