Initially, this album may look closer to a difficult university quiz rather than the latest pop album by a musician whose last single was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Split into 4 different parts and voiced in 13 tongues, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced work exploring female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently through the prism of different women saints. The end of a relationship—a topic treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among a long list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity by itself makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars seem quite laughable.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend overly intellectual posturing is nothing short of miraculous, with sole praise belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not her first album to blend historical sounds with modern styles, its ambitions feel much greater on Lux, and the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that really elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, you find a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener into its tornado. Even when she's tearing hearts in two, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there through the journey.
A Prime Moment of Joy
That exuberant spirit shines clearly on the stunning piano-led song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for several moments. Then, all the music falls silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge crashes down like cartoonish impact. The song immediately segues into the wild track driven by racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic with this album is that you never quite know—or even wish to predict—where you is going next."
Almost every song finishes in a completely distinct place from where it began. A track examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony before collapsing into digital chaos. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work starts off dark and brooding, with prowling beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Balance Of Experiment & Pop
Another crucial balancing act on Lux involves navigating the line of radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is little coincidence that it has achieved her highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable hits. A song performed entirely in the English language swells around a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spirals upward. This trick gets echoed on a different expansive track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song charms via its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural impact of other breakup songs, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals have a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of impending artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism for sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its inherent excess. It is an abundant source of buried treasure that requires time to completely mine but doesn't feels like hard work. While other big releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record offers a lavish feast at which the characters at the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's most endlessly creative visionary.
