At first glance, this album may look closer to a difficult university quiz rather than a new pop project from an artist who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided across four distinct sections and voiced in thirteen languages, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced work investigating feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently through the perspective of various women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched skyward on this record, carried by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a long roll call of contributors. Its sheer daring alone renders the efforts of other pop stars look rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in avoid overly academic posturing is almost miraculous, with complete praise belonging to the artist. While it's not her first album to alchemize historical sounds and the present, its stakes are much greater on Lux, with the balancing act more pronounced. The element that really raises this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential spirit of fun. Much like the legendary artist during her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its whirlwind. Even when she is breaking your heart apart, you still want to stay right there through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Joy
This exuberant energy comes forth brightly on a stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh and a declaration before a hilariously exaggerated string crescendo thuds down like comedic impact. The track immediately segues into the wild track driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm of Lux is that you never quite understand—or even wish to predict—where it will go to next."
Nearly every song ends at a totally different point from where it started. A track explores the fleeting nature of fame over a featherlight symphony only to collapsing in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her previous rhythmic style starts out dark and sinister, with menacing beats, before fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften its rough corners.
The Balance Of Experiment & Accessibility
A key balancing act on Lux involves straddling the gap between radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language builds on a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks while it spirals upward. That trick is repeated on a different expansive track that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art amid of looming artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden treasure that requires time to completely explore but doesn't seem like a chore. While some big releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, this record is a lavish banquet where the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flit from discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary musical from music's most endlessly creative practitioner.
