Initially, this album could seem closer to a difficult academic challenge rather than the latest pop record from an artist who just had a previous single was a collaboration with a global pop star. Broken across 4 distinct parts and voiced in thirteen languages, we have a breathtaking orchestral-influenced album investigating female mystery, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, often by way of the lens of different women saints. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars upwards on this record, supported by the lush sound of a major symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among a long list of contributors. Its sheer daring by itself renders the efforts of contemporary artists seem quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly intellectual posturing feels almost miraculous, and sole praise going to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time project to fuse historical sounds and the present, its stakes are far greater here, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What really raises this fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. When she's breaking hearts apart, you nevertheless want to stay right there for the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant energy shines brightly on a stunning Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over several minutes. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, and we hear a gleeful laugh and a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral surge crashes in like cartoonish impact. The track immediately shifts to the wild track featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic with this album lies in you rarely quite know—nor wish to know—where you will go to next."
Nearly each track ends at a completely different place than where it began. A track explores the transient nature of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic work starts out moody and brooding, with menacing beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to soften its rough edges.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial achievement on the album involves straddling the line of bold experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that it has achieved her highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. A song sung entirely in English builds on a refrain that seems to gather increasingly nagging hooks while it spirals upward. That feat gets repeated by another expansive track that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux is pop on a grand level, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep well of buried treasure that takes time to completely explore but doesn't feels like hard work. While other big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record is a lavish feast at which the characters at the table, some intoxicated on holy wine, flit between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
