At first glance, this work may look more like a challenging scholarly challenge than the latest pop project by an artist whose previous hit was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Broken into 4 different parts and sung in thirteen tongues, this is a breathtaking symphonic album investigating feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and bodily transformation, often by way of the perspective of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars heavenward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer within an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure ambition by itself renders the efforts of other pop stars look quite small.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That this album manages to escape dry intellectual chin-stroking is nothing short of miraculous, and sole praise going to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to alchemize the past with the present, its stakes feel far higher here, and the balancing act more dramatic. The element that truly raises her fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is a core sense of playfulness. Much like the iconic Björk at her peak, you find a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she is breaking hearts apart, the listener still want to stay alongside her through the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
This exuberant spirit comes forth clearly on the stirring piano-led song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, all the music drops silent, and there's a gleeful giggle and a declaration prior to a hilariously exaggerated string crescendo crashes down like comedic impact. The song then shifts to the wild single featuring racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise role from the artist herself.
"The magic of this album is that the listener never exactly understand—or even wish to know—what it is going to next."
Nearly each track finishes in a completely distinct point than where it started. One moment examines the transient trappings of fame with a delicate orchestration only to collapsing into electronic cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic work starts out moody and sinister, with menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Of Art & Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album involves navigating the line between radical innovation and mainstream appeal. It is no coincidence that it has achieved her first release to break into the Top 5 of key markets: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song sung primarily in the English language swells around a chorus that feels to gather more and more infectious melodies while it spirals upward. This feat is echoed by a different powerful track that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song charms via its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
This album represents pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for high artistry in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of buried treasure that takes patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some major releases of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux offers a sumptuous feast at which the guests at it, some tipsy on holy drink, flit from conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
