Initially, this work may look more like a challenging scholarly quiz rather than the latest pop project by a musician who just had a last single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Split into four different sections and performed in thirteen languages, it is a breathtaking classical-tinged work investigating feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and physical change, frequently through the prism of various women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched skyward on this record, carried by the lush sound of a major orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer among a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity alone makes the efforts of other artists appear quite small.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that this album manages to avoid overly academic posturing is nearly a miracle, with sole praise going to the artist. While this is not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds and modern styles, its scale are far higher on Lux, with the balancing act more pronounced. The element that really elevates this fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Similar to the iconic artist at her peak, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its tornado. Even when she is breaking your heart apart, the listener still want to be right there for the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
That exuberant energy shines brightly on the stirring piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything falls away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top string surge thuds in like cartoonish force. The track immediately shifts to the frenetic single driven by galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm with Lux lies in the listener never exactly know—nor wish to predict—what it is going to next."
Nearly each song concludes at a totally distinct place from where it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration before collapsing into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her previous rhythmic work starts out dark and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to soften the song's jagged edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Accessibility
A key balancing act on the album is straddling the line between bold experimentation and broad appeal. It is little coincidence that the album has become her first release to crack the Top 5 of key markets: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable pop songs. One track sung entirely in English builds around a refrain that seems to gather increasingly nagging hooks as it spirals skyward. That feat is echoed on a different expansive ballad that expands and contracts, intertwining layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song charms via its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux is pop on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent excess. It is an abundant source of hidden treasure that takes patience to completely explore but never seem like a chore. While some big releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, this record offers a lavish banquet at which the guests around the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flit between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about hopeless men. It is a contemporary musical from pop's truly restlessly creative visionary.
