On the surface, Lux could seem more like a difficult academic examination than the latest popular music record by a musician whose last single was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Divided into 4 different parts and sung in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album investigating feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and corporal change, frequently through the perspective of various female saints. The end of a relationship—a topic treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, supported by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer among a vast list of contributors. The pure ambition by itself makes the efforts of other artists look quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in escape dry intellectual posturing feels nothing short of a miracle, and full credit going to Rosalía. While it's not her first album to fuse historical sounds with modern styles, its scale are much greater here, with the tightrope walk more precarious. The element that really raises her fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, is an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. Even when she is tearing your heart in two, you still want to stay right there through the journey.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
That playful energy comes forth clearly on a stunning piano-led ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool over several moments. Then, all the music falls silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh and a comment prior to a comically over-the-top string crescendo crashes in with comedic impact. The track then shifts to the frenetic track driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of this album lies in you never exactly understand—or even wish to know—where you will go to next."
Almost every song concludes at a totally distinct point than where it began. A track explores the transient nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony only to disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic style begins out dark and sinister, with menacing beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to soften the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act of the album is straddling the gap between radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is little coincidence that it has achieved the artist's first work to break into the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. A song sung entirely in English builds on a chorus that feels to collect more and more infectious melodies while it spirals upward. That feat is repeated on another expansive ballad that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing carry a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
This album is pop on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of impending artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. It is a deep source of buried treasure that requires time to fully mine but doesn't seem like a chore. Where some major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, this record is a lavish banquet where the guests at it, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flutter from conversations about historical figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's most restlessly inventive practitioner.
