At first glance, this work may look more like an arduous scholarly examination rather than the latest popular music record from a musician whose last hit featured an international pop star. Split into 4 different movements and voiced in 13 languages, it is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album that delves into feminine mystique, religious ascent, and bodily change, often by way of the perspective of various female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—soars heavenward on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a vast roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring alone makes the efforts of contemporary artists look rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That Lux manages to escape overly intellectual posturing feels nearly a miracle, and full credit going to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds and modern styles, its scale are far higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk more pronounced. What really elevates this fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of fun. Much like the legendary Björk during her peak, you find a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. Even when she's breaking hearts in two, you nevertheless desire to be right there for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This playful energy comes forth brightly on a stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for several moments. Suddenly, all the music falls away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top string surge crashes down with cartoonish impact. The track then shifts to the frenetic single driven by racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album lies in the listener never quite know—or even want to know—what it will go next."
Nearly every song finishes at a completely different place from how it started. One moment examines the transient trappings of celebrity over a featherlight symphony before collapsing in digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic style starts off moody and brooding, with prowling beats, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment and Pop
A key balancing act of Lux involves straddling the line of radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is no surprise that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in English builds on a refrain that seems to collect more and more nagging melodies as it spirals skyward. That trick is repeated by a different powerful ballad that grows and contracts, weaving multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number charms via its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural impact of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a grand scale, a hungry reach for high artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of buried treasure that requires time to fully mine but never feels like hard work. Where other major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, this record is a sumptuous banquet where the characters at the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred wine, flit between discussions about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about hopeless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most endlessly inventive visionary.
