Burnt Belief: Mutual Isolation

Mutual Isolation is the fourth album from Burnt Belief, the collaborative project of guitarist Jon Durant and bassist Colin Edwin. Edwin is known for playing in Porcupine Tree, his duet Twinscapes with bassist Lorenzo Feliciati, and O.R.k. with King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto, among other projects. Durant has made a series of solo soundscape albums and recently worked with composer & guitarist Stephan Thelen on their duet album Crossings (Alchemy Records, 2021) as well as Thelen's Fractal Guitar (MoonJune Records, 2019) and Fractal Guitar 2 (MoonJune Records, 2021).

Diverse as both musicians are, Burnt Belief's music is something else entirely, drawing from progressive rock, fusion jazz, ambient music and ethnic traditions. The album title refers to the distance-work method necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet the result is a remarkably natural and live sounding album, aided by Edwin's decision to play double bass exclusively, a departure from previous releases.

"Where It All Began (For TR)" opens the album with an energetic blast of fusion reminiscent of early Weather Report, as well as more recent music from trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer. It features the drumming of frequent contributor Vinny Sabatino and Estonian trumpeter Aleksei Saks along with Durant's atmospherics and Edwin's deep bass. "Month of Moonlight" strips back to the basic trio, and is driven by Durant's lyrical fretless guitar, an instrument which has become his specialty. "Rosso Portofino" adds creative Swiss percussionist Andi Pupato to the mix, along with Saks' trumpet; the pair are even more central to "Residential," in the absence of drums.

"Divine Rascal" is driven by a bass ostinato, and influenced by North African music. The closer "Expanse" (the longest track) strips the instrumentation back to the core duo, with Durant's piano a prominent voice, along with fretless guitar. A fitting end to a recording which ultimately retained most of Durant's initial tracks, even though they were intended as guide performances: the spirit was present right from the beginning.