On the surface, this album could seem more like a difficult university challenge rather than the latest pop record from an artist who just had a last hit featured a global pop star. Broken across four separate parts and voiced in thirteen languages, this is a dizzying classical-tinged album exploring female mystery, spiritual ascent, and corporal transformation, frequently via the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward here, buoyed by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a long roll call of contributors. The pure daring alone renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars appear rather laughable.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in avoid dry academic posturing is almost miraculous, and sole credit going to Rosalía. Although this is not her first project to blend the past and modern styles, its scale are much greater here, and the balancing act more pronounced. The element that truly elevates this fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Much like the iconic artist at her height, you find a captivating quality to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. When she's tearing your heart apart, you still want to be right there for the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
That playful spirit shines brightly on a stirring piano-led song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top string crescendo thuds in with cartoonish force. The track immediately shifts to the wild single driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album is that you rarely quite know—or even want to know—what it will go next."
Nearly each track ends at a totally distinct place than where it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of fame with a delicate orchestration before collapsing in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing her earlier rhythmic work starts off moody and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, before fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act of Lux involves straddling the line of bold innovation and broad appeal. This is no coincidence that the album has become her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in English builds on a refrain that seems to collect more and more nagging hooks as it spins skyward. That feat gets echoed by another powerful track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered tunes as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its playful, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural impact of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album is pop on a grand scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. It is a deep well of hidden gems that requires patience to fully mine but never feels like hard work. Where some big releases of the year felt like a meager scraps, this record is a lavish feast at which the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flit between conversations about historical figures, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
