On the surface, this album could seem closer to a difficult academic examination than the latest popular music record from an artist who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided across four separate parts and sung in 13 tongues, it is a dizzying classical-tinged album that delves into female mystery, religious transcendence, and bodily change, often by way of the perspective of different saintly figures. The end of a romance—a theme handled with raw openness elsewhere—soars skyward here, carried by the constant presence of a full orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast roll call of collaborators. Its sheer ambition alone makes the work of other artists look rather small.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That this album manages to transcend dry academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, and complete credit going to the artist. Although this is not her first album to fuse the past with the present, the scale feel far higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What truly elevates her fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk during her peak, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its tornado. Even when she is tearing hearts in two, you nevertheless want to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
That playful spirit shines brightly during the stunning Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a spontaneous giggle and a declaration before a comically over-the-top string crescendo crashes down with cartoonish impact. The song then shifts into the wild track driven by galloping orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm with this album lies in the listener rarely quite understand—nor wish to predict—where it will go next."
Almost every track ends in a totally different place from how it began. A track examines the transient trappings of celebrity over a delicate orchestration before disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Another, a song echoing her previous trap-infused work starts off dark and brooding, with menacing vocals, until sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften its rough corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Accessibility
A key balancing act on the album involves straddling the gap between bold innovation and mainstream appeal. It is little coincidence that the album has become her highest-charting release to crack the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a suite of truly catchy hits. A song sung primarily in English builds around a refrain that seems to gather increasingly nagging hooks as it spins skyward. This trick is repeated by another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own built-in excess. It is a deep source of buried treasure that requires patience to fully explore but never seem like a chore. Where other big pop albums of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish banquet at which the characters around the table, some tipsy on holy drink, flit from conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's most restlessly creative visionary.
