At first glance, this album may look more like an arduous university quiz than a new popular music record from an artist whose last single featured a global pop star. Split across four distinct movements and voiced in 13 tongues, it is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced opus investigating female mystery, religious transcendence, and bodily change, frequently via the lens of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, carried by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among an extensive roll call of contributors. Its sheer daring by itself renders the efforts of other pop stars seem quite laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album manages to avoid dry academic chin-stroking is almost miraculous, with sole credit belonging to the artist. Although it's not her first album to alchemize the past and the present, the stakes are much greater on Lux, and the balancing act more pronounced. What truly raises her fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of playfulness. Much like the legendary Björk at her height, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. Even when she's tearing hearts in two, the listener still desire to stay right there through the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly during a stunning piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over several minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge thuds in with cartoonish impact. The track then segues into the frenetic single driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm of this album is that you rarely quite understand—or even want to predict—where it will go to next."
Nearly each track finishes at a completely different point than how it started. A track explores the transient nature of celebrity with a delicate symphony only to collapsing in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused work starts out moody and brooding, with menacing vocals, until sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Balance Of Art & Accessibility
A key balancing act of the album involves navigating the line of bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is no surprise that the album has achieved her highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a suite of truly catchy pop songs. One track sung primarily in the English language swells around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly nagging melodies while it spirals skyward. This feat is echoed by another expansive track that grows and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other breakup songs, eviscerating a former lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a grand scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own inherent excess. This is a deep source of buried gems that requires time to fully explore but never feels like hard work. While other big releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish banquet where the guests at it, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit from conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most restlessly inventive visionary.
