At first glance, Lux might appear more like a challenging scholarly examination rather than a new pop project by an artist who just had a last hit featured a global pop star. Split across 4 different parts and voiced in thirteen tongues, it is a head-spinning symphonic album that delves into feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and bodily transformation, often through the perspective of different women saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, carried by the constant presence of a full orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the efforts of other artists seem quite small.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in avoid overly intellectual posturing is nothing short of a miracle, and full praise belonging to the artist. Although it's not the first time album to blend the past and the present, its stakes feel far greater here, and the tightrope walk more pronounced. The element that truly elevates her fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be a core sense of joy. Similar to the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its tornado. Even when she is breaking hearts in two, you still desire to be right there for the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
That exuberant energy shines clearly on the stirring Italian song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy for more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down with comedic impact. The song immediately segues into the wild track featuring racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The charm of Lux lies in you never exactly understand—or even want to predict—where you is going to next."
Almost each track concludes at a totally distinct point than where it started. A track examines the transient nature of fame with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut echoing the artist's earlier rhythmic work starts out dark and sinister, with prowling beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its jagged edges.
The Balance Between Art and Pop
Another crucial balancing act of Lux is navigating the gap of bold innovation and broad appeal. This is little surprise that it has achieved her first work to break into the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a collection of truly catchy pop songs. One track sung entirely in the English language swells around a chorus that seems to collect more and more nagging melodies as it spirals skyward. This trick gets echoed on another expansive track that grows and constricts, weaving multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its jaunty, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of looming artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of buried treasure that takes time to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some big pop albums of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record is a sumptuous feast at which the characters around it, some intoxicated on holy drink, flutter from discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
