Newfoundout is an endless fountain of textures, sounds and styles, in which something new is always being revealed. Despite implying a challenge for the audience, Storring’s stance is not subversive, but quite the contrary: he happily invites us to step into the colorful world he is creating.

Mixing formality with experimentation is not something new for Canadian artist Nick Storring -who is already on his seventh release- but, far from being examples of stagnation, the tracks that give form to Newfoundout act more as a very well accomplished synthesis of what can be done with sound, both in its pure and more structured forms.

It all starts with the unmistakable sound of cymbals that contrast with something less familiar: what appears to be metal sheets being bent and manipulated to create an opulent sound with a very distinctive metallic timbre. After a few seconds, more instruments and objects come into play, until we are in the center of a myriad of discernible sounds and mysterious resonances that intertwine with one another to create an endless flow of sonic manifestations. This vastness is constant and is maintained throughout the whole album.

The pieces are very well balanced, as Storring manages to fluctuate between amorphous structures with a sense of direction; between what’s musical and what’s merely timbral; as well as between improvisation and thought-out arrangements. It all feels likevery academic, but, at the same time, it reflects an innocent and modest curiosity. Moments of complete abstraction are complemented by passages in which a folky vibe emerges (“Frood”, “Dome Extension”) or even with dynamics more typical of electronic genres, as in the undeniable highlight that is “Vroomanton”.

Nick takes advantage of the natural tones and sonic properties of all the objects and instruments he used, giving Newfoundout immense depth and volume, not to mention the countless details that are created by clashing frequencies, natural reverberations, or simply using the instruments and objects in a very different way than what they were inteded to do. There is always something new being revealed on each track, making the album quite accessible without sacrificing the adventurous spirit that comes hand in hand with improvisation and aural exploration.

Not only does Storring open up an abundant source of textures, sounds and styles, but the emotional part is also extensive and varied. However, his greatest achievement is making these mood swings feel unforced; the pieces are kept in constant motion, which implies that their emotional nuances will change and evolve as as well. Nick is very apt to handle changes and transitions in a natural way: Dense, overwhelming passages blend without problem with those instances in which everything explodes into pastel shades and vice versa. This is a very organic work in every sense of the word.

Every time I finished listening to Newfoundout (and I listened to it a lot), something prompted me to get up, go to another room and start playing (although, obviously, the result was completely inferior). This is one of the most inspiring albums that I have been able to listen to this year, as it shows us a whole world of sound possibilities, and it does so without the redundancy, nor the indulgence and pretensiousness that a lot of experimentation tends to fall into. Despite the fact that these pieces imply a certain challenge for the audience, Nick Storring does not take an isolationist or openly subversive stance; it is actuall the contrary: it seems that he is more than happy to let us step into the world he is creating.