Initially, this work may look more like an arduous academic quiz rather than a new pop record from an artist whose previous single was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Broken across 4 separate parts and performed in thirteen languages, we have a dizzying symphonic work exploring feminine mystique, religious ascent, and physical transformation, often via the perspective of various female saints. The end of a love affair—a theme treated with raw openness elsewhere—is launched heavenward on this record, buoyed by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a long list of contributors. The pure daring by itself makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars appear rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to avoid overly intellectual posturing feels almost a miracle, with full credit belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time album to alchemize the past and the present, its ambitions feel much higher here, and the balancing act more dramatic. What really raises this fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Much like the iconic Björk during her peak, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener up in its tornado. Even when she is breaking your heart in two, the listener still want to be alongside her through the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That exuberant energy shines clearly on the stunning piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, all the music drops away, and there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated string crescendo thuds down with cartoonish impact. The song immediately shifts to the wild single driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from none other than herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in the listener never exactly know—nor wish to predict—what you is going next."
Almost each song concludes at a completely distinct place than where it started. One moment examines the fleeting nature of fame over a delicate symphony before disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Another, a song that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused style begins out dark and brooding, with menacing beats, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to soften its rough edges.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
Another crucial achievement on the album is navigating the gap between bold innovation and broad accessibility. This is little surprise that it has become the artist's highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track sung primarily in English builds on a refrain that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks while it spirals upward. That trick is repeated by a different powerful track that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple tunes like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces via its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture impact of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of looming artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism for glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully manages its built-in excess. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that requires time to completely mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While other major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous feast at which the guests around the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flit from discussions about ancient saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless men. It is a modern-day musical from pop's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
