Initially, Lux might appear more like an arduous scholarly challenge rather than a new pop album from a musician who just had a last hit featured an international pop star. Broken into four distinct sections and sung in thirteen languages, we have a dizzying classical-tinged work investigating feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently through the prism of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched skyward on this record, carried by the lush sound of a major orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter within an extensive list of contributors. The pure daring by itself renders the efforts of other artists appear quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That this album manages to escape dry academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, and complete praise belonging to Rosalía. While this is not the first time album to alchemize the past with modern styles, its stakes feel much greater on Lux, and the balancing act more pronounced. What really raises her fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, is a core sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you into its whirlwind. When she's breaking your heart apart, the listener still desire to be right there for the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
That exuberant energy comes forth clearly on a stirring piano-led ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several moments. Then, all the music falls silent, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge thuds down with cartoonish impact. The song then shifts into the wild track featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic of Lux is that the listener never quite know—nor want to predict—where you will go to next."
Almost each track concludes at a totally distinct point than where it started. A track examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused work starts off dark and sinister, with prowling vocals, until sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir enter to soften the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Of Experiment and Pop
Another crucial achievement on Lux involves straddling the line of radical innovation and broad appeal. This is no coincidence that it has achieved the artist's first release to break into the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a suite of utterly catchy hits. One track sung entirely in English swells on a chorus that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spins skyward. That trick gets echoed by a different expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms with its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, like a storybook character concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of buried treasure that requires patience to completely explore but doesn't feels like hard work. While other major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record is a lavish banquet at which the characters around the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flit from conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
