On the surface, this album could seem more like a challenging academic challenge than the latest pop project by an artist who just had a previous single was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Split across 4 different movements and voiced in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning classical-tinged work exploring female mystery, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, frequently through the prism of various female saints. The end of a romance—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot heavenward on this record, supported by the constant presence of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a vast list of collaborators. The pure ambition by itself renders the efforts of contemporary artists seem rather small.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That this album succeeds in transcend overly academic posturing is nothing short of miraculous, and sole credit belonging to the artist. Although it's not the first time project to fuse historical sounds and the present, the scale are far higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that truly raises this fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, dense compositions, and inherent drama, is a core spirit of fun. Much like the iconic artist at her height, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps you into its whirlwind. Even when she is breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to stay alongside her through the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
This playful spirit comes forth brightly on a stunning Italian ballad inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds in like comedic impact. The track then segues to the wild track featuring racing strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm of this album is that you never exactly understand—or even want to know—where you will go next."
Nearly every track ends at a completely different place from how it started. A track explores the transient trappings of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing into digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic style starts off moody and brooding, with prowling beats, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Of Experiment and Pop
A key achievement on Lux involves straddling the line of bold innovation and mainstream appeal. This is little surprise that it has become her first release to crack the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a collection of truly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in the English language swells on a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious melodies while it spins upward. This trick gets echoed on another powerful track that expands and constricts, weaving layered melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural impact of other breakup songs, lambasting an ex- lover labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art amid of looming artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep well of hidden treasure that requires time to fully explore but never feels like hard work. Where other big releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, this record is a lavish banquet at which the guests around it, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter from conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared stories about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's most restlessly inventive practitioner.
