Initially, this album could seem closer to a difficult university challenge rather than a new popular music album from a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Split into four separate movements and voiced in thirteen languages, this is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced opus investigating feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and physical change, often by way of the perspective of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—soars skyward on this record, carried by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter within a vast roll call of contributors. Its sheer daring by itself renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars appear quite laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album manages to transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, and sole credit belonging to the artist. Although it's not her first project to alchemize historical sounds with modern styles, the stakes feel much higher here, with the tightrope walk more pronounced. What really elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be a core sense of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing hearts in two, the listener nevertheless desire to stay right there through the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This playful energy shines clearly during a stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, and we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment before a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds in with comedic force. The track then shifts into the frenetic single driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm with this album lies in you rarely quite know—nor wish to predict—where you will go to next."
Nearly each track concludes in a completely distinct place than where it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of fame over a delicate orchestration only to collapsing into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing her previous rhythmic style starts out moody and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to soften its jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Art and Accessibility
A key balancing act of Lux is straddling the gap of radical experimentation and broad appeal. This is little surprise that it has become her first release to break into the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a collection of truly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in English swells on a refrain that feels to collect more and more infectious hooks as it spins upward. That trick gets echoed by another powerful track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered tunes as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural honesty of other breakup songs, lambasting an ex- partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing carry a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album is pop on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism for sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of hidden gems that takes patience to fully explore but never feels like hard work. While some major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous feast where the characters at the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter from conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's most restlessly creative practitioner.
