Initially, Lux may look closer to a challenging scholarly challenge than the latest pop record from an artist whose previous hit featured a global pop star. Broken into four separate sections and performed in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album investigating feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and corporal change, frequently via the perspective of various female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a long list of collaborators. Its sheer daring alone makes the efforts of other artists look quite modest.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That Lux succeeds in transcend overly intellectual chin-stroking feels nearly miraculous, with complete praise belonging to the artist. While it's not her first project to fuse the past and the present, its scale feel far higher here, and the balancing act more dramatic. The element that truly elevates this fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of playfulness. Much like the iconic artist at her height, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. When she's breaking hearts apart, you still desire to stay right there through the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That playful energy shines clearly on a stunning piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy for several minutes. Then, all the music falls away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top string crescendo crashes in with cartoonish force. The track immediately shifts into the frenetic track driven by galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm with this album lies in the listener never quite know—nor want to predict—what it is going next."
Nearly each track ends in a totally distinct place than how it started. A track explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused style starts off dark and brooding, featuring prowling beats, before fluttering traditional handclaps and an angelic choir enter to smooth its rough corners.
The Balance Of Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act of the album is navigating the line of bold innovation and mainstream appeal. This is little coincidence that the album has achieved her highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. A song sung primarily in the English language builds around a chorus that seems to collect increasingly nagging hooks while it spirals upward. That trick gets echoed on a different powerful track that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a sharp smile, like a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
This album is pop on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art amid of impending artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of buried treasure that requires patience to fully explore but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager meal, Lux is a lavish feast at which the characters around it, some tipsy on holy drink, flit between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's most restlessly creative practitioner.
