Initially, Lux may look closer to a difficult university examination rather than the latest popular music album by a musician whose previous hit featured an international K-pop icon. Broken into 4 different sections and performed in 13 languages, it is a dizzying symphonic opus investigating female mystery, religious ascent, and corporal change, often through the prism of various saintly figures. The end of a relationship—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, buoyed by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the work of other artists look rather modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to transcend dry academic posturing feels nothing short of miraculous, with complete praise going to the artist. While this is not the first time album to fuse historical sounds with modern styles, its ambitions feel much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be a core spirit of playfulness. Much like the iconic Björk at her height, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she's breaking hearts apart, you still want to be right there through the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
That playful spirit comes forth brightly on the stunning Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Suddenly, everything falls away, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration prior to a comically exaggerated string crescendo thuds in with cartoonish force. The track immediately segues into the frenetic track featuring racing strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The magic with this album is that the listener rarely quite understand—nor want to know—what you will go to next."
Nearly each track ends at a totally distinct point from where it began. A track explores the fleeting nature of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing into digital chaos. Another, a song that recalls her previous rhythmic work begins out moody and brooding, with prowling beats, before sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften its jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment & Accessibility
A key balancing act on the album involves straddling the gap between bold innovation and broad accessibility. It is little surprise that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track sung primarily in the English language swells on a refrain that seems to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spirals skyward. This trick is repeated by a different expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered tunes like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares with cultural impact of other breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing carry a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook character hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry amid of impending artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism for sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. This is an abundant well of buried gems that requires patience to fully mine but doesn't seem like hard work. Where some major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on meal, this record is a lavish banquet at which the guests around it, some intoxicated on holy wine, flit from discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day musical from pop's most restlessly inventive practitioner.
