Initially, this album may look closer to an arduous scholarly challenge rather than the latest pop project by a musician whose last single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided across four different sections and sung in thirteen languages, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged work exploring female mystique, religious ascent, and corporal change, often by way of the lens of different female saints. The end of a relationship—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—soars heavenward on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer among an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure daring by itself makes the efforts of contemporary artists look quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That this album succeeds in escape dry intellectual posturing is almost miraculous, and full credit belonging to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to fuse historical sounds with the present, the scale are much higher on Lux, with the balancing act far more pronounced. What truly elevates her fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the iconic artist during her height, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. When she is breaking your heart in two, the listener nevertheless want to be right there through the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
That playful spirit comes forth clearly on the stirring piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over several moments. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a comment before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down like cartoonish force. The track immediately segues into the wild track driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The charm of Lux lies in the listener never exactly understand—or even wish to predict—what it will go next."
Almost each song concludes in a totally distinct point than where it started. One moment explores the transient trappings of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration before collapsing in electronic cacophony. Another, a song that recalls her earlier rhythmic work begins off moody and brooding, with menacing beats, until sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to smooth its rough corners.
The Balance Between Art & Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of the album involves straddling the line between bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is no coincidence that the album has become her first release to break into the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in the English language builds on a chorus that seems to collect more and more nagging melodies while it spins upward. That trick is echoed by another expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms with its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture honesty of other heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux is pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of hidden gems that takes patience to completely mine but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record is a lavish banquet where the guests around it, some intoxicated on holy drink, flit between discussions about ancient figures, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
