At first glance, this work might appear closer to a challenging academic quiz than a new pop project by a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Divided across 4 distinct sections and sung in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning classical-tinged opus investigating female mystery, religious transcendence, and physical change, often via the perspective of various women saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched skyward on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning composer within a long list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition alone renders the efforts of contemporary artists appear quite small.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to transcend dry intellectual posturing is almost miraculous, and sole praise belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not her first album to fuse the past and modern styles, the ambitions feel much higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more precarious. The element that truly elevates her fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is a core spirit of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener into its tornado. Even when she is tearing hearts in two, the listener nevertheless want to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
That playful spirit shines brightly during a stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over several moments. Then, all the music drops silent, and we hear a gleeful laugh and a comment before a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes down with cartoonish force. The track then segues into the frenetic track featuring racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm of Lux is that the listener never quite know—or even wish to predict—what it is going to next."
Nearly each song ends in a totally distinct place than how it began. One moment examines the fleeting nature of fame over a featherlight symphony before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing her previous rhythmic style starts off dark and sinister, with menacing beats, until sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir enter to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Between Art & Pop
Another crucial balancing act of Lux involves navigating the line between radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is no surprise that it has achieved her highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of key markets: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in the English language builds around a refrain that seems to gather more and more infectious melodies while it spins skyward. This trick gets repeated by a different powerful track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album is pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully manages its inherent excess. This is a deep source of hidden treasure that takes patience to fully mine but doesn't seem like hard work. While other big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux offers a sumptuous feast at which the characters around it, some tipsy on holy drink, flit between discussions about ancient figures, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
