At first glance, this album could seem closer to a difficult university examination than a new popular music album from a musician whose last single was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Divided across 4 different sections and sung in 13 tongues, it is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced work investigating female mystery, religious ascent, and corporal transformation, often by way of the lens of various women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, carried by the lush presence of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning composer within an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure ambition alone renders the work of other pop stars appear quite modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
That this album succeeds in escape overly academic chin-stroking feels almost miraculous, with complete praise going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds and modern styles, the scale are much higher here, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What really raises this fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense compositions, and inherent drama, is a core spirit of fun. Much like the legendary artist at her height, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. When she's breaking your heart apart, you nevertheless want to stay alongside her through the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
That exuberant energy comes forth brightly on the stunning Italian song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for several moments. Then, everything drops silent, and there's a gleeful laugh and a declaration prior to a comically exaggerated string surge thuds down with cartoonish impact. The track then segues into the wild track driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm of Lux is that the listener rarely quite understand—nor want to predict—where it is going to next."
Almost each track finishes in a completely distinct place from how it began. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of fame with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous trap-infused style begins out dark and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir enter to smooth its rough edges.
The Bridge Between Art and Pop
A key balancing act of the album involves straddling the line between bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is little coincidence that the album has achieved her first work to break into the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in the English language builds on a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spirals upward. This trick is echoed on a different expansive track that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
Lux represents pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for high artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its built-in excess. It is an abundant well of hidden gems that requires time to completely mine but never feels like a chore. While other major releases of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet where the guests around the table, some tipsy on sacred wine, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's most endlessly inventive visionary.
