On the surface, this album may look closer to a difficult academic examination rather than a new popular music record by a musician who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Divided into 4 distinct parts and voiced in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying symphonic work that delves into feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and physical transformation, often via the prism of different saintly figures. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—soars skyward here, supported by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within an extensive list of collaborators. Its sheer daring alone renders the efforts of other artists look rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That this album manages to transcend dry intellectual posturing is nearly miraculous, and full credit going to the artist. While it's not her first project to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its ambitions are much greater on Lux, with the balancing act far more precarious. The element that truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Much like the legendary Björk at her height, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener into its tornado. When she is breaking hearts in two, the listener nevertheless desire to be right there for the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
This playful spirit comes forth brightly during the stunning piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four moments. Then, everything drops away, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds in with cartoonish impact. The track then segues into the wild track featuring racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The magic with this album is that you never exactly know—nor want to predict—what you is going to next."
Nearly each track concludes in a completely different place from where it started. A track explores the fleeting nature of fame with a featherlight symphony only to collapsing into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing the artist's earlier rhythmic style begins out dark and brooding, featuring menacing beats, until sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to soften the song's jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Experiment and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of the album involves navigating the line of bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is little surprise that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in English builds around a refrain that feels to gather increasingly infectious melodies while it spirals skyward. That feat gets echoed by a different expansive track that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a storybook character hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its inherent excess. It is a deep well of buried treasure that requires time to fully explore but never feels like a chore. Where some big pop albums of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet where the guests around it, some intoxicated on holy drink, flutter from discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly restlessly creative visionary.
