Initially, this album may look more like a challenging university quiz than the latest popular music record from an artist whose previous single featured a global pop star. Broken into 4 separate parts and performed in 13 tongues, this is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced opus exploring feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, often via the lens of various female saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—soars skyward on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter within a vast list of collaborators. The pure daring alone renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars look rather small.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, and complete credit going to the artist. Although this is not the first time project to alchemize the past and the present, the ambitions are much higher on Lux, and the balancing act far more pronounced. The element that truly raises her fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its tornado. When she's tearing your heart in two, the listener still desire to be alongside her through the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit shines clearly during a stunning piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four minutes. Then, everything drops silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated string surge crashes in with cartoonish force. The song immediately segues to the frenetic track driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm of this album lies in you never quite know—or even want to know—where it is going to next."
Nearly each track ends in a completely distinct place from how it began. A track examines the transient nature of celebrity with a featherlight symphony only to collapsing in digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic work begins off dark and sinister, with menacing beats, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly choir enter to smooth its rough edges.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Accessibility
A key achievement of the album is navigating the line of bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is no coincidence that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy pop songs. A song sung primarily in the English language swells around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly infectious melodies as it spirals skyward. This feat gets repeated by another expansive track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares the cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art in an era of impending artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep well of hidden gems that takes patience to completely mine but never seem like a chore. While some major releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the guests at it, perhaps intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter between conversations about ancient figures, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
