At first glance, this work may look closer to a difficult scholarly examination than the latest popular music album from an artist who just had a last single was a collaboration with a global pop star. Split into 4 different parts and voiced in 13 languages, it is a head-spinning symphonic work exploring female mystery, religious ascent, and physical transformation, frequently via the prism of various female saints. The end of a romance—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, supported by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer among an extensive list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the work of other artists seem quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album succeeds in escape dry intellectual chin-stroking feels almost miraculous, and complete credit going to Rosalía. Although this is not her first project to fuse the past and the present, its ambitions feel far greater here, with the balancing act far more precarious. The element that really elevates her fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, is an essential sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist during her height, you find a captivating sense to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts in two, the listener still want to be alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This playful spirit comes forth brightly on the stunning piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over several minutes. Then, all the music falls away, and there's a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down like cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues into the frenetic track featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The charm of this album is that you never exactly understand—nor wish to know—what you is going next."
Almost every song concludes in a completely distinct point from how it began. One moment examines the transient nature of fame over a delicate symphony before collapsing into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing the artist's previous trap-infused style starts off moody and sinister, with prowling vocals, before fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
A key achievement of Lux involves navigating the gap between radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is no coincidence that the album has become the artist's first release to crack the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song performed entirely in English builds on a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spins upward. That trick is echoed on a different expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining layered melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural honesty of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals have a sharp smile, like a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album represents pop on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of looming artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its built-in excess. It is a deep source of buried gems that takes time to fully explore but never feels like hard work. Where some big releases of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record offers a sumptuous feast where the guests at the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flit between discussions about ancient figures, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
