At first glance, this album might appear closer to a challenging university challenge than the latest popular music record from a musician who just had a last hit featured a global pop star. Split across four separate movements and sung in 13 tongues, it is a dizzying classical-tinged opus that delves into feminine mystique, religious ascent, and bodily transformation, often by way of the perspective of various women saints. The end of a romance—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot skyward here, carried by the constant presence of a major orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a long roll call of collaborators. The pure ambition by itself makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars look quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album succeeds in avoid overly academic chin-stroking is almost miraculous, with sole credit belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time project to blend historical sounds with modern styles, its scale feel much higher here, with the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What truly raises her fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of fun. Much like the legendary artist during her height, you find a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking your heart in two, the listener nevertheless desire to stay right there for the journey.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
That playful spirit comes forth clearly during the stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for several minutes. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, and there's a gleeful giggle and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down with cartoonish force. The track immediately segues into the frenetic track featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in you rarely exactly understand—or even want to know—where it will go next."
Almost every song ends at a totally different place from where it started. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity over a delicate orchestration before collapsing into digital chaos. Another, a song echoing the artist's earlier rhythmic style begins out dark and sinister, with prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment & Pop
Another crucial achievement on Lux involves straddling the gap between bold innovation and mainstream appeal. It is no surprise that the album has become her first work to crack the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a suite of truly undeniable hits. One track sung primarily in English swells on a chorus that feels to collect more and more infectious hooks as it spins skyward. That feat gets echoed by another expansive ballad that expands and constricts, weaving layered melodies like an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused song charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a sharp smile, like a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a grand level, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that masterfully manages its own inherent excess. It is an abundant source of buried gems that takes patience to completely explore but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some major pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux offers a sumptuous feast at which the guests around the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter between conversations about ancient saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about hopeless men. It is a modern-day musical from pop's truly restlessly inventive visionary.
