At first glance, this album might appear closer to an arduous scholarly examination rather than a new pop project from an artist who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Split across 4 separate parts and performed in thirteen tongues, we have a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work that delves into female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and corporal change, often through the prism of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot upwards on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within an extensive roll call of collaborators. Its sheer audacity alone makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars seem rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album succeeds in avoid dry intellectual chin-stroking is nothing short of a miracle, with complete credit belonging to the artist. While this is not the first time project to blend historical sounds and the present, its stakes feel much greater on Lux, with the balancing act more precarious. The element that really raises this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is a core sense of fun. Much like the iconic Björk during her peak, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts apart, you nevertheless want to be alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That playful energy comes forth clearly during the stunning piano-led ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four minutes. Then, all the music falls away, and there's a gleeful giggle followed by a comment before a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes in like comedic impact. The song immediately segues into the wild track driven by galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The charm of Lux lies in the listener rarely quite know—nor want to predict—what it will go next."
Nearly every song concludes at a totally distinct place from where it started. A track explores the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in electronic chaos. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic work begins out dark and sinister, featuring prowling beats, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment and Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album involves navigating the gap of radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is no coincidence that it has become her highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy hits. One track performed primarily in English builds on a chorus that seems to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spins upward. That trick gets echoed on another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture honesty of other breakup songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
This album is popular music on a grand level, an ambitious reach for high Art in an era of looming artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that takes time to completely mine but doesn't seem like hard work. Where other major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record is a lavish feast at which the characters at the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flit between discussions about ancient figures, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative visionary.
