On the surface, Lux may look closer to an arduous academic examination rather than a new pop project by a musician whose last single was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Split into 4 different movements and sung in thirteen tongues, we have a head-spinning symphonic opus exploring feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently through the perspective of different female saints. The end of a romance—a topic treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward here, buoyed by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a long list of collaborators. The pure audacity alone renders the work of contemporary pop stars look quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That this album succeeds in avoid dry intellectual chin-stroking is nearly miraculous, with complete praise belonging to the artist. While it's not her first album to fuse the past and modern styles, its scale are far greater here, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What really elevates her fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be a core sense of joy. Much like the iconic Björk at her height, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you into its tornado. Even when she's breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
That exuberant energy comes forth clearly on the stunning Italian song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything drops away, and there's a gleeful laugh and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes in like comedic force. The track then shifts to the frenetic track featuring racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of this album lies in you rarely quite know—or even want to know—where you is going next."
Almost each track ends at a totally different point than where it started. One moment explores the transient nature of celebrity with a featherlight symphony before disintegrating in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her previous trap-infused work begins off moody and brooding, with prowling vocals, until sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to soften the song's rough corners.
The Balance Of Art & Pop
Another crucial achievement of the album involves straddling the line of radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that it has become the artist's first work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a collection of utterly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in the English language builds on a chorus that feels to collect increasingly nagging melodies as it spins upward. This trick gets repeated on a different powerful track that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture impact of other breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux is pop on a grand level, an ambitious reach for high Art amid of impending artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its built-in excess. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that takes patience to completely explore but never seem like hard work. Where some major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet where the characters around the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter between conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.
