At first glance, this album could seem more like a challenging university examination than the latest popular music project by a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Broken into four distinct sections and sung in thirteen languages, this is a dizzying symphonic opus exploring female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and physical change, frequently by way of the lens of different female saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched skyward on this record, carried by the lush presence of a full orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a long roll call of collaborators. The pure ambition by itself makes the efforts of other pop stars seem rather small.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, with sole praise going to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds and the present, the ambitions are much higher on Lux, and the balancing act more precarious. The element that truly elevates her fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be a core sense of joy. Much like the iconic artist at her peak, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she is breaking hearts in two, the listener still want to stay right there through the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on a stirring piano-led song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over several moments. Suddenly, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh followed by a comment before a comically exaggerated string crescendo crashes down with comedic force. The song immediately segues into the wild track featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The magic of this album lies in you rarely exactly understand—nor want to know—where you will go next."
Almost each song ends at a completely distinct place than how it started. One moment explores the fleeting nature of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before collapsing into electronic chaos. Another, a song that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused style begins off moody and brooding, with menacing beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to soften its rough corners.
The Bridge Of Art & Pop
Another crucial balancing act of Lux is navigating the line of radical experimentation and broad appeal. This is no surprise that the album has achieved the artist's first work to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly undeniable hits. A song performed entirely in English builds around a refrain that feels to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spins skyward. This trick is echoed on a different powerful track that expands and constricts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high artistry amid of impending artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its own built-in excess. This is an abundant well of buried gems that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't seem like hard work. Where some major pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux is a lavish banquet at which the guests around it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flit between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about useless men. It is a contemporary musical from music's most restlessly creative practitioner.
