After six studio albums with Alado Sincera and Sonio, ‘Voltereta’ is Daniel Ardura’s first solo release. This work bears little relation to the artist’s previous outings, even though vocals and guitar are practically the only elements that intervene throughout the LP. To be sure, ‘Voltereta’ is an unconventional work. Although the songs might be thought of as poetry set to music, they do so from a somewhat experimental perspective. First off, the album begins three times or, rather, it begins with the same piece repeated three times. Thus, each of these tracks stand on there own –the first two being atonal– although the lyrics, melody, sounds, and structure are different in each case. These are not variations on the same idea, but of three separate songs. This exploratory minimalism will help us to better understand the metrics of the rest of the album since, almost always, they are determined by the verse.
Ardura’s restlessness to reconceptualize song structure and contemporary production values is also evident in other aspects: the recording process for example exaggerates room sounds and natural imperfections, and highlights them in the final mix. This technique gives a sense of a hyperrealistic performancescape. The remarkable part is that the musician’s diction remains serene and his voice strictly adheres to the message, without artifice. This in turn softens any formal subversions until they become familiar and even go unnoticed. It is the contraposition of these two principles –aesthetic risk, on the one hand, and solid interpretation, on the other– brings a sense of equilibrium to ‘Voltereta’. Each composition is subject to these two forces with similar intensity. They act in different directions, yet, somehow, they are counter each other so as to stop, freeze, and capture specific moments of the album, as if some sort of latent immobility was involved. The result is quite striking.
Ardura knows how to measure the use of semantic revocation in a way that makes us entertain certain doubts about their reference, supposed confessions, and even the motivation behind certain topics… all of which gives rise to an quasi-hermeneutic seduction. From verse to verse, the work grows on the listener. It is as if all we have to do is connect the dots: as if ‘Voltereta’ was made up of small detonators that activate our sense of discovery. Even after many plays, the disc always offers something new to explore.
