Initially, Lux may look closer to an arduous university examination than the latest pop album by a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Broken across 4 different parts and voiced in thirteen languages, we have a breathtaking orchestral-influenced work investigating female mystique, spiritual ascent, and corporal transformation, often by way of the lens of various saintly figures. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter among a vast roll call of collaborators. The pure ambition alone makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars look quite small.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly intellectual posturing is almost a miracle, and complete credit going to Rosalía. While this is not her first album to blend historical sounds with modern styles, the scale are far greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that truly elevates her fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of joy. Much like the legendary artist at her peak, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts apart, you nevertheless want to be alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
That exuberant spirit comes forth clearly on the stirring Italian ballad about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds in with comedic impact. The track immediately shifts to the wild track featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm with this album lies in the listener never exactly know—or even wish to know—what you will go to next."
Nearly each track ends in a completely different point than how it started. A track examines the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony only to collapsing in digital cacophony. Another, a song that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic work begins out dark and brooding, with menacing beats, before fluttering traditional handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to smooth its jagged corners.
The Balance Between Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of the album involves navigating the line of radical experimentation and broad appeal. This is little surprise that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. One track performed primarily in English swells around a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging melodies as it spins skyward. This trick is echoed on another powerful track that expands and constricts, weaving layered tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its jaunty, theatrical flair and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
This album is pop on a grand scale, a hungry reach for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully controls its own built-in excess. It is a deep well of hidden treasure that requires patience to fully explore but never feels like hard work. Where other major releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux is a sumptuous feast at which the guests at the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's truly restlessly inventive visionary.
