Initially, this work might appear closer to a difficult academic challenge than a new pop project by an artist who just had a last single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided across four different sections and performed in thirteen languages, it is a dizzying symphonic work exploring feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and corporal transformation, frequently by way of the lens of different women saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, buoyed by the lush sound of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the work of other artists appear quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That Lux manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking is nothing short of a miracle, with sole praise going to Rosalía. Although this is not her first album to fuse the past with modern styles, the ambitions feel far higher here, and the balancing act more precarious. The element that really raises this fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing hearts in two, the listener still want to be right there for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This playful spirit comes forth clearly on a stirring piano-led song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four moments. Suddenly, everything drops away, to reveal we hear a spontaneous giggle and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge crashes down with comedic impact. The track immediately segues to the wild track driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm of this album lies in the listener never quite know—or even want to know—what it will go next."
Almost each track finishes in a totally distinct place from where it began. A track examines the transient nature of fame over a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating into digital chaos. Another, a song echoing the artist's previous trap-infused style starts out moody and brooding, featuring menacing beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of the album involves straddling the gap of bold innovation and broad accessibility. It is little coincidence that it has become her first work to crack the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy hits. A song sung entirely in the English language swells around a refrain that feels to gather increasingly infectious hooks as it spirals upward. That feat is echoed on a different powerful ballad that expands and contracts, weaving layered melodies as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number charms via its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing have a sharp edge, akin to a storybook character hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux is pop on a grand level, a hungry reach for capital-A Art amid of looming artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. It is an abundant well of buried treasure that requires time to fully explore but never feels like a chore. While some major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish feast at which the characters around it, some intoxicated on holy wine, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
