{"product_id":"zen221","title":"Portico - Living Fields","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"430\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/189263427\u0026amp;auto_play=false\u0026amp;hide_related=false\u0026amp;show_comments=true\u0026amp;show_user=true\u0026amp;show_reposts=false\u0026amp;visual=true\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere do you start talking about a suite of recordings so concerned with the commonalities between beginnings and ends? You could start by saying that \u003cem\u003eLiving Fields\u003c\/em\u003e is an album of catharsis and redefinition, born of a desire to create newness out of loss and change. You could also say that the band Portico themselves have undergone a process of ending and re-beginning, but none of this quite captures what you will hear.\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe best thing you can do is listen. \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/portico#.VNH7cGSsUrM\"\u003ePortico\u003c\/a\u003e make music which moves forward towards distant places while offering rare intimacy as well, arriving somewhere between structured pop songs and a disintegrating ambience, a unique blend of the sublunary and the celestial. Reverb drenched piano meshes with swathes of studio noise while vocals float high above a world of textural atmosphere.\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrum machines crisply puncture the air around shimmering arpeggios of synth and electric bass.You can be untethered, detached in space only for a moment of detail to rush into focus. Melancholia and euphoria sunk into each other. The effect is profoundly emotional without ever needing to emote.\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/portico#.VNH7cGSsUrM\"\u003ePortico\u003c\/a\u003e are \u003cstrong\u003eDuncan Bellamy\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eMilo Fitzpatrick\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eJack Wyllie\u003c\/strong\u003e. Previously they were three-quarters of the highly successful and critically-acclaimed \u003cstrong\u003ePortico Quartet\u003c\/strong\u003e. But \u003cem\u003eLiving Fields\u003c\/em\u003e is no continuation under a shortened name. As far as the band are concerned this is a debut.\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere are three remarkable singers on this record:\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/jono-mccleery#.VNH892SsUrM\"\u003eJono McCleery\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eJoe Newman\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003eAlt-J\u003c\/strong\u003e) and \u003cstrong\u003eJamie Woon\u003c\/strong\u003e. These are not just guest performances and it shows. \u003cstrong\u003eWoon\u003c\/strong\u003e shared a house with \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/portico#.VNH7cGSsUrM\"\u003ePortico\u003c\/a\u003e in East London when they were writing and recording the album that would become Isla and he was working on “Mirrorwriting.” \u003cstrong\u003eJoe Newman\u003c\/strong\u003e is a childhood friend of \u003cstrong\u003eWyllie's\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/jono-mccleery#.VNH892SsUrM\"\u003eJono McCleery\u003c\/a\u003e was introduced to \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/portico#.VNH7cGSsUrM\"\u003ePortico\u003c\/a\u003e by \u003cstrong\u003eJamie Woon\u003c\/strong\u003e and has opened for them in the past. These existing relationships allowed for a consistency of thought and expression which makes this a truly remarkable record.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere do you start talking about a suite of recordings so concerned with the commonalities between beginnings and ends? It doesn’t really matter so long as you listen.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934214713503,"sku":"ZENCD221","price":10.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":44934214746271,"sku":"ZEN221","price":23.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD + Bonus CD (Indie Edition)","offer_id":44934214779039,"sku":"ZENCD221X","price":10.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP + Bonus CD (Indie Edition)","offer_id":44934214811807,"sku":"ZEN221X","price":23.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/living-fields-main.jpg?v=1736246556","url":"https:\/\/merch.ninjatune.net\/products\/zen221","provider":"Ninja Tune","version":"1.0","type":"link"}