On the surface, this album could seem more like a challenging scholarly quiz than a new popular music record by an artist who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Broken across 4 separate movements and performed in thirteen languages, it is a dizzying classical-tinged opus investigating feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and corporal change, frequently via the lens of various female saints. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched upwards here, supported by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a long roll call of collaborators. The pure ambition alone makes the work of other artists seem quite modest.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in avoid overly intellectual posturing is nearly a miracle, and full credit belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds with modern styles, the stakes are much higher on Lux, and the balancing act far more precarious. What really raises her fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, is a core sense of joy. Much like the legendary artist during her height, you find a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. When she's breaking hearts in two, you still desire to be alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on a stunning Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over several minutes. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes down like cartoonish impact. The song then segues to the wild track driven by galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic of Lux lies in you rarely quite understand—nor wish to know—what you is going next."
Almost each track concludes at a completely different place than how it started. A track examines the transient nature of fame with a delicate symphony only to disintegrating in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her earlier trap-infused style starts off dark and sinister, with menacing vocals, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Pop
Another crucial balancing act of the album is navigating the line of bold innovation and broad accessibility. This is no surprise that it has become her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed primarily in English swells around a refrain that feels to collect increasingly infectious melodies while it spins skyward. This feat is repeated on another expansive ballad that expands and contracts, weaving multiple tunes as an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares the cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting an ex- lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry amid of looming artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires time to fully explore but never feels like a chore. While other major releases of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record is a lavish feast at which the characters around it, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit from discussions about historical figures, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common gossip about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly restlessly inventive visionary.
