At first glance, this work may look more like an arduous academic quiz rather than the latest pop project from a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Broken across 4 different sections and performed in thirteen tongues, we have a dizzying symphonic album investigating female mystery, religious ascent, and corporal transformation, often by way of the prism of different female saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic treated with raw openness elsewhere—is shot upwards on this record, carried by the lush sound of a full orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter among a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition alone makes the efforts of contemporary artists appear quite laughable.
Transcending Academic Pretense
That this album succeeds in transcend overly intellectual posturing is nearly a miracle, and sole praise going to the artist. While it's not the first time project to blend the past with modern styles, the stakes are far higher here, with the balancing act more pronounced. What really elevates her fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, is a core sense of joy. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. When she is breaking your heart apart, you still want to be right there for the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
This playful spirit comes forth brightly during a stunning Italian ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy for more than four moments. Then, everything falls silent, and we hear a gleeful laugh and a comment before a comically over-the-top string surge thuds down like cartoonish force. The track immediately segues to the frenetic track driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The charm with this album is that the listener never quite know—or even wish to know—where it is going next."
Nearly every track concludes in a totally different point from how it started. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a featherlight symphony before disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Another, a song that recalls her previous rhythmic style begins off dark and brooding, with prowling beats, until sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Between Experiment and Pop
A key achievement on the album is navigating the line between radical innovation and broad appeal. This is no surprise that the album has become her highest-charting release to crack the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song sung primarily in English builds on a refrain that feels to collect more and more nagging melodies as it spins skyward. That trick gets echoed on a different powerful ballad that expands and contracts, weaving multiple melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms via its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture impact of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover labeled an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp smile, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a grand level, a hungry reach for high artistry in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own inherent excess. It is an abundant well of hidden treasure that requires time to fully mine but never seem like a chore. While other major releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux is a lavish banquet where the characters around the table, some tipsy on holy wine, flutter between discussions about ancient saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most restlessly inventive practitioner.
