Initially, this album may look closer to a difficult scholarly quiz rather than a new pop record from an artist whose previous single was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Broken into four distinct movements and voiced in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying symphonic work exploring feminine mystique, spiritual ascent, and bodily change, frequently through the prism of different female saints. The end of a romance—a topic treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot heavenward on this record, carried by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter among a long list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition alone makes the efforts of contemporary artists appear rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That Lux manages to avoid overly academic posturing is almost a miracle, with sole credit belonging to the artist. Although it's not her first project to blend the past and the present, its ambitions feel far greater here, with the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What really raises her fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, dense compositions, and inherent drama, is an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the legendary artist at her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you into its tornado. When she's breaking your heart apart, the listener still want to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
That playful spirit comes forth clearly on a stunning piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a declaration prior to a comically exaggerated string surge thuds down like comedic force. The song immediately segues into the frenetic single featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from the artist herself.
"The magic with this album lies in you never exactly know—or even want to predict—what you is going next."
Nearly every track finishes at a totally distinct point from where it started. A track explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity over a featherlight symphony before disintegrating into electronic chaos. Another, a song that recalls her previous rhythmic style begins off dark and brooding, featuring menacing beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Balance Of Experiment & Pop
A key achievement of the album involves straddling the line of bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is no coincidence that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a suite of truly undeniable hits. A song performed entirely in the English language builds on a refrain that seems to collect increasingly infectious hooks while it spins upward. That feat gets repeated on a different powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused song seduces via its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals have a sharp smile, like a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a grand level, an ambitious reach for high artistry amid of impending AI-generated sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent excess. This is an abundant source of buried gems that requires patience to completely explore but never feels like a chore. Where some major pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux is a lavish banquet at which the guests around it, some tipsy on sacred wine, flutter between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common gossip about hopeless men. It is a contemporary musical from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.
