Initially, Lux could seem more like a difficult scholarly examination rather than the latest popular music album from an artist whose last single featured an international pop star. Broken across 4 distinct sections and voiced in thirteen languages, it is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced opus exploring feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and bodily transformation, often via the prism of different women saints. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, supported by the constant sound of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity by itself renders the work of contemporary pop stars appear quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking feels nearly miraculous, with sole praise going to Rosalía. While it's not the first time album to fuse the past and the present, the scale feel far higher on Lux, and the balancing act more pronounced. The element that really elevates this fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps you up in its tornado. Even when she is tearing your heart apart, the listener nevertheless desire to be alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Joy
This exuberant energy shines clearly on a stirring piano-led ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over several moments. Suddenly, everything falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top string surge thuds in with comedic force. The track immediately shifts to the wild single featuring racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album is that the listener never exactly know—nor want to predict—what you is going next."
Nearly every song finishes at a totally different place than where it began. A track examines the transient nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony before collapsing into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her earlier trap-infused style starts off moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Accessibility
A key achievement on Lux is straddling the gap between bold innovation and mainstream appeal. It is little surprise that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy pop songs. One track sung entirely in English swells around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly infectious melodies as it spins upward. This feat gets echoed by another powerful ballad that expands and contracts, weaving multiple melodies as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song charms via its playful, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural impact of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing have a sharp smile, like a storybook character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden treasure that takes time to completely mine but doesn't seem like hard work. Where other major pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet where the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flutter between discussions about historical figures, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
