On the surface, this work might appear closer to an arduous academic examination rather than the latest popular music record by a musician who just had a previous single featured a global pop star. Broken into 4 different parts and sung in 13 languages, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced opus investigating female mystery, religious ascent, and corporal transformation, frequently through the perspective of various female saints. The end of a relationship—a theme handled with raw openness elsewhere—soars heavenward here, carried by the constant sound of a full orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer daring alone makes the efforts of other artists seem rather small.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that this album manages to escape overly intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, with complete credit going to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time project to blend the past and modern styles, its ambitions feel far greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that really raises her fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, is an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's singing that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she is tearing your heart in two, you still desire to stay right there through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly on the stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over several minutes. Then, all the music falls away, and we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge thuds down like cartoonish impact. The track then shifts to the frenetic single driven by racing strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The magic with this album is that the listener rarely exactly understand—nor wish to know—where it is going to next."
Nearly each song ends at a completely different place from how it began. A track examines the transient trappings of celebrity over a delicate symphony only to collapsing in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut echoing the artist's previous rhythmic work starts off dark and sinister, with prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of the album is straddling the line of bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is no coincidence that the album has achieved her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major charts: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable hits. One track sung primarily in English swells on a chorus that seems to gather more and more infectious melodies while it spirals upward. That feat is repeated on another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining layered tunes like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song charms via its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns the pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp smile, like a storybook character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a grand scale, a hungry reach for high artistry in an era of impending artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism for sublime elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep source of buried treasure that takes time to completely explore but doesn't seem like a chore. Where some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters at the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter from conversations about historical saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
