I only thought there was classic rock and alternative rock until I listened to Bryan Deister’s debut indie album, Spines of the Heart. 

Bryan Deister  is  trained in classical, jazz, blues,  progressive rock, and modern music, he writes, sings, and composes all of his music including the chorals, polyrhythms and unique instrumentation such as funk banjo and rice percussion. Along with Nirvana, Weezer, Voltaire, My Bloody Valentine, Bryan decided that dark, thoughtful, well written music is what he really wanted to be a part of. This led to him take writing music seriously and venturing off (from classical and jazz) into all of the 20th century style
composition techniques from John Cage to John Lennon. Bryan is working hard at Berklee College of Music, keeping up his  Writing and Composition Scholarship. Bryan says “Hopefully after Berklee I will continue to improve in all facets and be able to write interesting music without starving.” His latest 2 Disc Album of 23 songs came out 12/22/2015 and is entitled  “Spines of the Heart”.

Song By Song Review

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“All That I Have”: Right away, I was gripped by the electronic rhythm of this track, the raspy whisperings of Bryan’s vocals and felt like this track could be easily labeled a banger in the genre of electronic rock. It really starts the album on a high note.

“Responding Well”: With an overall haunting feel and musicality to this track with a long instrumental introduction, any listener to this track would respond and receive it well.

“In Her Eyes”: With a constant hum of a vocal vibrato against a war drum, this song talks about melting “in her eyes” because they tell a vivacious story because of all the things her eyes hint at and can be visually seen through them. It’s almost magical realism meets music.

“Have You”: Sticking to the genre, the softness of the musicality gives it the appeal of a rock ballad.

“Silent Screams”: My favorite off the album because of the use of rice percussion and the rhythm  of the track, followed by a seriously rad guitar ripping solo in the breakdown of the track, it just has the sound of a song that would be featured in a superhero vs super villain fight scene in a Marvel movie.

“Approaching”: A haunting piano ballad that creeped me out in the best way when I first listened to it, it discusses the end of an era, or of the world as we know it. Bryan’s vocals really add to the overall musicality of the track making it yet another experimental rock banger in my book.

“Brighter Dawn”: Almost sounds like a Beatles “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” style track, it’s a cry out to God with elements of sensing human weakness and needing God’s supernatural strength to carry you through.

“Into The Sky” Right away when I heard this track, I sensed great musical potential from it. With musicality that likens to fellow rock band MGMT, I like the vocal layering of this track. No surprise that this track is currently charting at #148 nationally and #5 on the indie charts. It is mind-bendingly beautiful.

“Gone”: Too haunting for my tastes, this track hints at suicide after a heart-wrenching break up or a loss.

“Come”:Haunting much like a ghost singing to you in a dark train or subway tunnel, the minor piano chords will stick with you long after you listen to this track.

“Today”: Definitely can be likened to a Kurt Cobain/Nirvana song, it’s incredibly haunting both musically and vocally.

“Nobody’s Angel”: With a pressurized air sound in the introduction against a minor piano track, it leads into a John Lennon style vocal performance with rhythms that could be likened to a Panic At The Disco track.

“Wait”: This experimental rock track is too demonic-sounding for my tastes.

“Emily”: I like the electronic rhythms of this track as well as the vocals as he sings about a girl named Emily.

“What You Want”: “Stand up, stand up and take it.” The lyrics declare from the beginning of the track and with chords that mirror church bells, it’s a song that fights to the finish.

“The Bread”: When I first saw the title of the track, I thought how weird? After listening to the track, I see that this track has religious elements and is another prayer to God, based off the “Our Father.”

“Always Further”: A clock ticking and drums introduce this track while Bryan’s vocal vibrato  haunts the listener.

“Seven Eight”: A follow-up to “Silent Screams,” it experimentally and musically hints at the joke that “seven ate nine.”

“Nothing More” A brooding organ style piano ballad that is nothing more for the listener than a track worth listening to.

“Sure”: I love the rhythm of this track and war drum musicality with echoes of vocal vibrato.

“Vacant Eyes”: Electronic rhythms and a heartbeat backtrack with lyrical themes that discuss loving someone so much you would die for them.

“Apart of Me”: With a metal-sounding introduction, it almost sounds like this ack could have been featured in the Mad Max film. And although it becomes a very strange piano ballad, it could still have given a certain experimental element to a movie that thinks outside the box. The track is thirteen minutes and 29 seconds long and contains a mix of the albums different musical elements all in one final track.

Check it out at http://www.bryandeister.com and stay in touch with all new releases from this artist by liking his Facebook page.