On the surface, this album might appear more like a challenging academic examination than a new popular music record from an artist whose previous hit was a collaboration with a global pop star. Broken across 4 separate movements and sung in 13 tongues, this is a dizzying classical-tinged opus investigating female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and physical change, frequently via the prism of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme treated with raw openness elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, buoyed by the lush sound of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure daring by itself makes the work of other pop stars appear quite modest.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly academic posturing feels nothing short of miraculous, and full praise going to the artist. Although this is not the first time album to blend historical sounds with modern styles, the stakes feel far higher here, with the tightrope walk far more precarious. What really raises her fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is a core sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its tornado. When she's tearing hearts apart, you nevertheless want to be right there through the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This playful energy shines clearly during the stunning piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over several minutes. Then, all the music falls away, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds in like cartoonish force. The song immediately shifts to the frenetic single driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The magic of this album is that you never quite understand—nor wish to predict—where it is going to next."
Nearly each track finishes at a completely different place from how it began. A track examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity over a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic work begins out moody and brooding, featuring prowling beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Art & Accessibility
A key balancing act of the album involves straddling the line of radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting release to crack the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. One track performed primarily in English builds around a chorus that feels to collect more and more nagging melodies while it spirals skyward. That trick is repeated by another powerful track that grows and contracts, weaving multiple tunes like an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused song seduces via its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture impact of other heartbreak anthems, eviscerating an ex- partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album represents popular music on a grand level, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry amid of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its own built-in excess. It is an abundant well of hidden gems that requires patience to completely explore but never seem like hard work. While other big pop albums of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the guests at the table, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flutter between discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
