Initially, this work may look closer to a difficult academic quiz than the latest pop album from a musician whose last hit was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Split across 4 separate movements and voiced in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged work exploring female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and corporal change, frequently through the lens of various female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars heavenward on this record, supported by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning composer within a vast roll call of collaborators. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the work of other artists look rather laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in avoid overly intellectual chin-stroking is nearly a miracle, and sole credit going to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its ambitions feel much higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that truly raises this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist during her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts apart, you still desire to stay right there for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This playful spirit shines clearly during the stunning Italian song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Then, everything drops away, and there's a gleeful giggle and a declaration prior to a hilariously exaggerated string surge crashes in with comedic force. The track then shifts to the frenetic track featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from none other than herself.
"The magic of Lux lies in you rarely exactly understand—or even want to know—what it is going to next."
Almost every song concludes at a completely different point from how it started. A track explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating into digital chaos. Another, a cut that recalls her previous rhythmic style begins out moody and sinister, with prowling vocals, until sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its rough corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Pop
Another crucial achievement on the album involves navigating the line between bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is little surprise that the album has achieved her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a collection of truly catchy pop songs. One track sung entirely in English swells on a refrain that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spirals upward. That feat gets echoed on another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies like an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a painted-on edge, like a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
This album is popular music on a grand scale, a hungry reach for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. It is a deep well of hidden gems that takes time to completely mine but doesn't seem like hard work. While other big pop albums of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet where the characters around the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit from conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
