Initially, this album could seem more like an arduous academic quiz rather than the latest popular music record by a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Split into four distinct sections and sung in thirteen languages, this is a head-spinning classical-tinged opus investigating feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently through the perspective of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot heavenward here, carried by the constant sound of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among an extensive list of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself makes the work of contemporary pop stars seem rather laughable.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That this album succeeds in transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking feels almost a miracle, with sole praise going to Rosalía. Although this is not her first album to fuse historical sounds with the present, the ambitions feel far greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk more precarious. The element that really raises this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core spirit of joy. Much like the legendary Björk during her height, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts apart, the listener still desire to be right there through the journey.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This exuberant energy shines brightly on a stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh and a comment prior to a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds down like comedic force. The track immediately segues to the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album lies in you never quite understand—nor wish to know—what it is going to next."
Nearly each song concludes at a completely distinct place from how it began. One moment explores the fleeting nature of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her earlier trap-infused work starts out moody and brooding, featuring menacing beats, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften its jagged corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
A key achievement on Lux is straddling the gap of radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is little surprise that the album has become her highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song performed entirely in the English language swells on a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging melodies while it spins skyward. This feat gets echoed by a different expansive track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered tunes like an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing have a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious reach for high artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. It is a deep well of buried treasure that takes patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like hard work. Where some big releases of the year felt like a meager meal, this record is a sumptuous feast where the guests at it, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flutter from discussions about ancient figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common gossip about hopeless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most endlessly creative practitioner.
