Initially, this work could seem closer to an arduous academic challenge rather than a new popular music project from an artist whose last hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Broken into 4 different movements and performed in 13 languages, it is a head-spinning symphonic work investigating female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, often through the lens of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme handled with raw openness elsewhere—is launched skyward here, carried by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer within an extensive roll call of contributors. The pure ambition alone makes the work of contemporary pop stars appear rather laughable.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That this album succeeds in escape dry intellectual chin-stroking feels almost a miracle, and sole credit belonging to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to fuse the past with the present, its scale feel much higher here, with the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that really raises this fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and engrained drama, is a core sense of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she is breaking hearts apart, you still desire to be right there for the ride.
A Prime Moment of Joy
This exuberant energy shines brightly during a stunning piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for several minutes. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a comment prior to a hilariously exaggerated string surge thuds in with comedic force. The track then segues to the wild single featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic with Lux lies in the listener never quite understand—or even want to predict—where you is going to next."
Almost each song ends in a totally distinct place than how it started. One moment explores the transient nature of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous trap-infused work begins out moody and sinister, with menacing beats, until sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Of Art & Accessibility
A key balancing act on Lux is navigating the line between bold experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that it has achieved her first release to break into the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy pop songs. One track performed entirely in English swells on a chorus that feels to gather more and more nagging hooks as it spins skyward. That trick gets echoed on a different expansive track that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other breakup songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals have a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
This album is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of looming artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its own inherent excess. It is a deep well of buried gems that takes patience to fully mine but never feels like hard work. Where some big releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, this record is a sumptuous banquet where the guests around the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter from conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
