At first glance, Lux may look closer to an arduous university quiz rather than a new pop album from a musician who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Split into 4 separate movements and performed in thirteen tongues, this is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album that delves into female mystique, religious ascent, and corporal transformation, often by way of the lens of various women saints. The end of a romance—a topic treated with raw openness elsewhere—is launched skyward on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast roll call of collaborators. The pure ambition alone renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars appear rather small.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to transcend overly academic chin-stroking is nothing short of miraculous, and complete credit belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not her first album to fuse historical sounds and the present, the stakes feel much higher here, with the balancing act far more precarious. The element that truly raises this fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts in two, the listener still desire to stay right there through the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This playful energy comes forth clearly during the stunning piano-led song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over several minutes. Then, everything falls silent, and there's a gleeful laugh and a declaration prior to a comically exaggerated string crescendo crashes down with comedic force. The song immediately shifts to the frenetic track driven by racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from the artist herself.
"The magic with this album lies in the listener never exactly understand—nor want to know—where you will go next."
Nearly each track ends in a totally distinct point from where it started. A track examines the transient nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony only to collapsing in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic work begins off dark and sinister, with menacing beats, until fluttering traditional handclaps and an angelic choir enter to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of Lux is navigating the gap of radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has achieved the artist's first release to break into the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in the English language swells around a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spirals skyward. That feat is repeated by another expansive track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
Lux represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent excess. It is an abundant well of buried gems that requires time to fully mine but never feels like a chore. While some major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet where the guests at the table, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter from discussions about ancient figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's most restlessly creative visionary.
