Initially, this album may look more like a difficult academic quiz than the latest popular music record from a musician who just had a last single featured an international pop star. Divided into 4 distinct movements and sung in thirteen tongues, we have a head-spinning symphonic album that delves into feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and bodily change, often through the prism of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—soars upwards on this record, supported by the constant presence of a full orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure daring by itself makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars look rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album succeeds in transcend overly intellectual chin-stroking is nearly miraculous, and complete praise belonging to the artist. While it's not the first time project to blend the past with the present, the scale are much higher here, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What truly elevates this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, rich compositions, and inherent drama, is an essential sense of playfulness. Much like the legendary artist during her peak, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there for the journey.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit shines brightly on a stunning piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool over several moments. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated string surge thuds down like comedic force. The track then segues to the wild track driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The charm with this album lies in you never exactly know—or even want to know—what you is going to next."
Almost every song ends at a totally different point from where it started. A track examines the fleeting trappings of fame over a delicate symphony only to collapsing in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing her earlier rhythmic style starts off moody and brooding, featuring prowling beats, until fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Art and Pop
A key achievement on the album involves straddling the gap of radical innovation and mainstream appeal. This is little coincidence that it has achieved her first release to break into the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a suite of truly undeniable hits. One track sung entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that seems to collect increasingly nagging melodies as it spirals skyward. That trick gets repeated on a different expansive ballad that expands and contracts, weaving layered tunes as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux represents pop on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for high artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of buried treasure that requires time to completely mine but doesn't seem like hard work. While other major releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet where the guests around it, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flit from conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. It is a modern-day musical from pop's truly restlessly creative visionary.
