At first glance, this album could seem closer to a challenging university challenge rather than a new popular music record from an artist whose previous hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Split across 4 distinct movements and voiced in thirteen tongues, we have a dizzying classical-tinged album that delves into female mystique, religious ascent, and bodily transformation, often by way of the lens of various saintly figures. The end of a love affair—a theme handled with raw openness elsewhere—is launched skyward here, buoyed by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among a vast list of collaborators. The pure daring by itself renders the work of contemporary artists appear rather modest.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album manages to avoid overly academic posturing feels nearly miraculous, and full praise going to the artist. While it's not her first project to blend historical sounds with modern styles, its stakes are far greater here, and the balancing act more pronounced. What truly raises her fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, is a core spirit of joy. Much like the iconic artist at her height, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener up in its tornado. Even when she is tearing hearts in two, the listener still desire to stay right there through the journey.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth clearly during a stunning Italian ballad about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over several minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh and a declaration before a comically over-the-top orchestral surge crashes in like cartoonish impact. The song then segues into the frenetic track driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic with Lux is that the listener never quite understand—nor want to know—what it is going to next."
Nearly every song ends at a completely distinct point than where it began. One moment examines the transient nature of fame with a delicate symphony only to collapsing into electronic chaos. Another, a cut echoing the artist's previous trap-infused style begins out dark and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, until sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment & Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album involves navigating the line of radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is no surprise that the album has achieved her first work to crack the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in English builds around a chorus that feels to gather increasingly infectious hooks as it spirals upward. That trick gets repeated by a different powerful track that grows and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song charms via its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns the pop culture honesty of other breakup songs, eviscerating a former lover labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook character hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art amid of impending artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism for sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep source of buried gems that requires time to completely explore but never seem like a chore. While some big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet where the guests at it, some tipsy on holy drink, flit from discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
