On the surface, this work might appear more like an arduous academic examination than a new popular music album from a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Split into four distinct movements and sung in 13 tongues, this is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced album exploring feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, frequently by way of the perspective of various female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward here, buoyed by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer audacity by itself renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars seem rather modest.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in escape dry intellectual posturing is nothing short of miraculous, and complete credit belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time album to fuse the past with modern styles, the ambitions are far greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What truly elevates her fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary artist during her height, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener up in its tornado. Even when she is tearing your heart apart, you still desire to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly during the stunning Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for several moments. Suddenly, all the music drops away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle and a declaration prior to a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes down like cartoonish impact. The song immediately segues into the wild single driven by galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The charm with this album is that you rarely exactly know—or even wish to predict—what it will go next."
Almost every track finishes at a completely different place from where it started. One moment examines the fleeting trappings of fame with a featherlight orchestration before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her earlier trap-infused work begins out dark and brooding, with prowling beats, before fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to soften its rough edges.
The Balance Of Art & Pop
A key achievement of Lux is straddling the gap of radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is no coincidence that it has become the artist's first work to crack the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in the English language builds around a refrain that seems to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spirals skyward. That trick gets echoed by a different expansive ballad that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture honesty of other heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
This album represents pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of impending artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism for sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent excess. It is a deep well of hidden treasure that takes time to fully mine but doesn't seem like a chore. While some big releases of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux is a sumptuous feast at which the characters at the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred wine, flit between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary musical from pop's truly restlessly inventive visionary.
