At first glance, Lux might appear more like a difficult scholarly challenge than a new pop record from an artist who just had a previous single featured a global K-pop icon. Divided into 4 separate movements and performed in 13 tongues, we have a head-spinning symphonic album exploring feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and physical change, often via the lens of various female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, supported by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a long roll call of contributors. The pure ambition by itself makes the efforts of other pop stars appear rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album manages to escape dry academic chin-stroking is nothing short of a miracle, and sole praise going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time album to fuse the past and modern styles, its stakes feel far higher here, with the balancing act far more precarious. What truly elevates this fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk during her height, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you into its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on a stunning piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music drops away, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes in with cartoonish force. The song immediately segues into the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The magic with this album is that the listener never exactly understand—or even want to predict—what you is going to next."
Almost every track concludes at a completely distinct point from where it started. One moment examines the transient trappings of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating in digital chaos. Another, a song that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic work begins out dark and brooding, with prowling beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on Lux involves straddling the line between bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is no surprise that it has become the artist's highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a suite of truly catchy pop songs. One track sung entirely in English swells on a chorus that feels to collect increasingly nagging melodies while it spins skyward. This trick is echoed by a different powerful track that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing carry a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a grand level, a hungry grasp for high Art amid of impending artificial blankness. It rejects solipsism for sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep source of hidden treasure that takes patience to fully mine but never feels like a chore. While other major releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet where the guests at the table, some tipsy on sacred drink, flit between discussions about ancient saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about hopeless men. It is a modern-day musical from pop's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
