At first glance, Lux may look closer to an arduous university examination rather than a new pop album from a musician who just had a last single featured an international pop star. Broken across 4 separate sections and voiced in thirteen tongues, it is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced album that delves into feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and bodily change, often via the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—is shot skyward here, buoyed by the lush sound of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning composer within a long list of contributors. The pure audacity alone renders the efforts of other artists seem rather modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
That this album succeeds in transcend dry academic chin-stroking is nearly a miracle, with sole credit going to the artist. Although this is not her first project to blend the past with modern styles, the stakes are much higher here, and the balancing act far more precarious. The element that truly raises this fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, is an essential spirit of fun. Much like the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. When she is breaking hearts in two, you still want to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit comes forth clearly during the stirring piano-led song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool over several moments. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, and there's a gleeful giggle and a comment before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes down with cartoonish force. The song immediately shifts into the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The magic of Lux is that the listener never quite know—or even want to know—what you is going next."
Nearly every track concludes in a completely different place from where it began. A track explores the transient nature of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before collapsing into digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused work begins out dark and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, before sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic choir enter to soften its jagged corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment and Pop
Another crucial balancing act on Lux is navigating the line between bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. It is little coincidence that it has achieved her first work to crack the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a suite of utterly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in English builds on a refrain that seems to collect more and more nagging hooks while it spins skyward. That trick gets echoed by another expansive track that grows and constricts, intertwining layered tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
This album is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious reach for high Art amid of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its inherent excess. This is an abundant well of buried treasure that requires patience to completely explore but doesn't seem like hard work. Where other big releases of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record offers a lavish feast at which the characters at the table, some intoxicated on holy drink, flutter from discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless men. It is a contemporary musical from music's most endlessly creative practitioner.
