On the surface, this work may look closer to a difficult university challenge rather than a new popular music album by an artist whose last single featured a global K-pop star. Divided across four distinct movements and voiced in 13 tongues, we have a breathtaking orchestral-influenced opus that delves into female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and physical transformation, often by way of the lens of various female saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—is shot skyward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter within an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure ambition alone makes the efforts of contemporary artists look quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That Lux succeeds in avoid dry academic posturing feels nothing short of a miracle, and full credit going to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds with modern styles, the stakes feel far higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk more dramatic. What truly elevates her fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, rich compositions, and engrained drama, is an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the iconic Björk during her height, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. When she is tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless desire to be right there for the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This playful spirit shines brightly on the stirring piano-led song about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several moments. Then, everything drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated string crescendo thuds down with cartoonish force. The song immediately segues into the wild track featuring racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic with Lux lies in the listener never quite know—or even wish to predict—what you will go to next."
Nearly every track finishes at a completely different place than where it started. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity over a featherlight symphony before collapsing into digital chaos. Another, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic style starts out moody and sinister, with menacing vocals, until sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Of Experiment and Accessibility
A key achievement on Lux involves navigating the gap between bold innovation and broad appeal. It is little coincidence that the album has become her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in English builds around a chorus that feels to gather increasingly infectious hooks as it spins skyward. That feat gets echoed by a different expansive ballad that grows and constricts, weaving multiple tunes like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux is pop on a grand level, an ambitious reach for high Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its own built-in excess. It is an abundant well of buried gems that takes patience to completely explore but doesn't seem like a chore. Where other major releases of the year felt like a meager meal, this record is a lavish feast where the guests at the table, some intoxicated on holy wine, flit from conversations about historical saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
