At first glance, this album might appear closer to a difficult academic examination rather than a new popular music project by an artist who just had a previous single was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Divided across four distinct sections and sung in thirteen tongues, we have a dizzying classical-tinged album that delves into female mystique, spiritual ascent, and corporal transformation, frequently by way of the lens of different saintly figures. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched heavenward on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive list of collaborators. The pure daring alone makes the efforts of contemporary artists seem quite small.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that this album manages to avoid overly academic posturing feels almost miraculous, with complete credit belonging to the artist. Although it's not the first time album to blend the past and the present, its scale feel much higher on Lux, with the balancing act more dramatic. What really elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist at her peak, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts in two, the listener nevertheless want to be right there through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This playful energy shines brightly during the stirring piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, and there's a gleeful giggle followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down like cartoonish impact. The track immediately shifts into the wild track driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic of this album is that the listener rarely quite know—nor wish to know—where you is going next."
Almost every song ends in a totally distinct point from where it began. One moment examines the fleeting trappings of fame with a featherlight orchestration before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous rhythmic work starts out dark and sinister, with menacing vocals, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Accessibility
A key achievement of the album is straddling the line between bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is little surprise that it has become the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable hits. A song sung primarily in English swells around a chorus that seems to collect more and more infectious hooks as it spirals upward. That trick is echoed by a different powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural honesty of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the singing carry a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep source of buried gems that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't seem like hard work. Where some major releases of the year felt like a meager meal, this record offers a lavish feast at which the guests at it, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flit from discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's most restlessly inventive practitioner.
