At first glance, this album could seem more like a challenging academic challenge than the latest pop album by an artist who just had a last single was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Broken into 4 different sections and sung in 13 tongues, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged opus that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and physical change, often through the lens of different women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a major orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among an extensive list of collaborators. The pure daring alone renders the work of other artists seem quite laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to transcend dry academic posturing is almost miraculous, with sole credit belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not her first project to fuse the past and the present, the ambitions feel far greater here, and the tightrope walk more precarious. What truly raises this fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Much like the iconic Björk at her height, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts in two, the listener still desire to be alongside her for the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This playful spirit shines brightly during a stirring Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four moments. Suddenly, everything falls away, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge thuds down like cartoonish force. The track immediately shifts to the frenetic single driven by galloping orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The charm of this album is that the listener never exactly know—nor want to predict—where it will go next."
Almost every track finishes at a completely distinct point from where it began. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity over a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating into electronic chaos. Another, a cut that recalls her earlier trap-infused work begins off dark and brooding, with prowling beats, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Balance Of Art and Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on the album is navigating the line of radical innovation and mainstream appeal. It is no surprise that it has become the artist's highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. One track performed entirely in English swells on a refrain that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies while it spirals upward. This feat is repeated on a different expansive ballad that grows and contracts, weaving layered tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms with its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares with cultural impact of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting an ex- lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album represents pop on a grand level, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art amid of impending artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. This is a deep source of hidden treasure that takes patience to completely explore but doesn't seem like a chore. Where other big releases of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record is a lavish banquet at which the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flit from conversations about ancient saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about hopeless men. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
