On the surface, this album could seem more like a challenging university challenge than the latest popular music record by a musician who just had a previous single featured a global K-pop star. Broken across four separate parts and performed in thirteen tongues, it is a dizzying classical-tinged album that delves into female mystery, spiritual ascent, and bodily transformation, often by way of the perspective of various female saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among an extensive roll call of contributors. The pure daring by itself makes the work of other artists appear quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to avoid overly academic chin-stroking is nothing short of a miracle, and sole credit going to the artist. Although it's not her first album to fuse historical sounds with modern styles, the scale feel much greater here, with the tightrope walk more pronounced. The element that truly raises her fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense compositions, and inherent drama, is an essential spirit of joy. Similar to the legendary artist at her height, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. When she is breaking hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there through the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
That exuberant energy shines clearly during a stirring Italian ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four moments. Suddenly, everything falls silent, and we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge crashes down with comedic force. The track immediately shifts into the frenetic single driven by galloping orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic of this album lies in the listener never quite know—nor want to predict—where you is going next."
Almost every track ends in a completely distinct place than where it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating into electronic chaos. Another, a cut that recalls her previous rhythmic style begins out dark and brooding, with prowling beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to soften its jagged corners.
The Balance Between Art and Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on the album is straddling the line of bold innovation and mainstream appeal. It is little surprise that the album has become her highest-charting release to crack the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song performed primarily in the English language swells on a refrain that seems to collect increasingly nagging hooks while it spins skyward. This trick is echoed on another powerful track that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, eviscerating a former partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing carry a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of looming artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that takes patience to fully explore but never feels like hard work. While other major releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux offers a lavish feast where the characters at it, some tipsy on sacred drink, flit between conversations about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about useless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative visionary.
