At first glance, this album may look more like a challenging scholarly examination rather than the latest pop record by an artist whose last single featured a global pop icon. Divided into 4 separate parts and sung in 13 languages, we have a dizzying classical-tinged album exploring feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently by way of the lens of different female saints. The end of a romance—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—soars heavenward here, buoyed by the lush presence of a major orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer within a long list of collaborators. The pure ambition by itself renders the work of other artists appear quite small.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in avoid dry academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, with complete credit going to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time project to fuse the past and the present, its scale are far higher on Lux, and the balancing act far more dramatic. What truly raises her fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, is an essential sense of joy. Much like the iconic artist during her peak, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls you up in its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing hearts in two, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there for the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant energy shines brightly on the stunning piano-led ballad about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls away, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle and a comment before a comically over-the-top orchestral surge crashes down like cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues to the wild track driven by galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic with this album is that you never quite know—nor wish to know—where it will go to next."
Nearly every track concludes in a completely distinct place from how it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of celebrity over a delicate orchestration before disintegrating into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her previous trap-infused style starts out moody and brooding, with prowling vocals, before sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to soften its rough edges.
The Balance Of Experiment and Accessibility
A key achievement on the album is navigating the line between radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is little coincidence that the album has achieved her first work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable hits. A song performed primarily in English builds around a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging melodies as it spins skyward. That feat gets repeated by a different expansive track that grows and constricts, weaving layered melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a painted-on smile, like a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry amid of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep well of hidden gems that takes patience to completely mine but never feels like a chore. While some big releases of the year felt like a meager scraps, this record is a sumptuous banquet where the characters around it, some tipsy on sacred wine, flutter from conversations about historical figures, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day musical from pop's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
