Initially, this album could seem more like a challenging scholarly challenge rather than the latest popular music album from a musician whose last hit featured a global pop icon. Broken across 4 distinct sections and performed in thirteen tongues, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged work investigating female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, frequently by way of the lens of various women saints. The end of a romance—a topic treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars upwards here, supported by the lush presence of a full orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter among a long roll call of collaborators. The pure audacity alone renders the efforts of other pop stars seem quite modest.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That this album manages to transcend overly intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, and complete credit going to the artist. Although it's not the first time album to blend the past with modern styles, the scale feel much higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk more pronounced. What really raises this fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, is a core sense of joy. Much like the legendary artist at her peak, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. When she's breaking your heart apart, the listener nevertheless want to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on the stunning piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds in like comedic force. The song immediately shifts to the wild track driven by galloping orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm of this album is that the listener never exactly know—nor wish to predict—where it is going to next."
Nearly every track finishes in a completely distinct place from how it started. A track examines the fleeting nature of fame over a featherlight symphony before disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her previous rhythmic style begins out dark and sinister, featuring menacing beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment & Pop
A key achievement of the album is navigating the line between radical innovation and mainstream accessibility. It is little coincidence that the album has become her highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy hits. One track performed primarily in English builds on a chorus that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spirals upward. That feat is repeated by another expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered tunes like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a grand level, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its own inherent excess. This is an abundant well of buried gems that takes time to completely mine but never feels like a chore. Where other big releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish banquet at which the guests around the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about ancient figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless partners. It is a modern-day musical from pop's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
