Initially, this work might appear more like a challenging university examination than the latest popular music record from an artist whose last single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided across four separate movements and sung in thirteen tongues, it is a head-spinning classical-tinged work exploring feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, often through the perspective of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme handled with raw honesty elsewhere—soars heavenward here, supported by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning composer among a vast roll call of contributors. Its sheer audacity by itself makes the work of other artists seem rather small.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to avoid dry intellectual posturing is nearly miraculous, and full praise going to the artist. While this is not her first project to blend the past with modern styles, its ambitions are much higher on Lux, with the balancing act more dramatic. The element that truly raises her fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is a core sense of joy. Much like the legendary Björk at her height, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps you into its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing hearts in two, the listener still want to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth clearly during a stunning piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four moments. Suddenly, everything falls silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes in like comedic force. The song immediately segues to the wild track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The magic of Lux is that the listener rarely quite know—or even wish to predict—what you is going to next."
Almost each track concludes at a totally different point than where it began. One moment examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating into digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing her previous rhythmic work begins off dark and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Art & Pop
Another crucial balancing act of Lux involves navigating the line between radical innovation and broad appeal. This is little coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's first work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in English builds around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly nagging melodies while it spins skyward. That trick gets repeated by another expansive track that grows and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art amid of looming artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its built-in ridiculousness. It is a deep well of hidden treasure that takes time to fully explore but never seem like hard work. Where other big releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record is a sumptuous feast where the characters around it, some tipsy on holy drink, flit from conversations about ancient saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary musical from pop's most restlessly inventive practitioner.
