An artist, no matter his or her form, seeks to push themselves
to the limits of their craft and beyond. In most cases, the process
helps them to figure out their own talent and what they wish
to offer. In the case of Bryan Deister, the process is a search for
aural freedom that can be felt in each song. Deister hails from
Redondo Beach, California and has been a student of the renowned
Berklee College of Music for the past 2 years. With that tutleage
and his own innate gifts that include training in jazz, blues,
classical music and progressive rock, Bryan has found himself in
a ready space to introduce us to his sound through his firstproject,
entitled Spines Of The Heart.
Spines Of The Heart comes in at a robust 20 tracks. Deister has
proclaimed on his website that this is a deeply personal album, and
one gets that sense from the beginning notes. It’s reinforced by
the fact that he crafted this entire album himself, from writing the
music right down to doing the artwork for the album. The first track,
“All That I Have” dives deep into a swirling pool that seems opaque
to look into. But the lilting airiness behind the moody tone of the
percussion makes this a strong statement of being yourself, flaws
and all. Deister displays a knack of tapping into both the light and
darkness within us - “Always Further” is haunting, with the light
Latin jazz influence strking a chord of desperate angst. But then
you get to a track like “Into The Sky”and find yourself locked into
a tune that’s gentle and aspirational with a feel that speaks to the
best of Euro-styled ambient music. Overall, Spines Of The Heart
is a crisp and enthralling debut from a musician who is really into
challenging himself - and us - to dig deeper. You can get the album
directly from Deister on his website.