Initially, Lux may look more like an arduous university examination than a new pop record from a musician who just had a previous single was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Divided across 4 distinct movements and voiced in 13 languages, we have a dizzying classical-tinged opus exploring female mystique, religious ascent, and physical transformation, frequently through the perspective of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a theme handled with grounded openness elsewhere—soars skyward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer among a vast roll call of collaborators. Its sheer audacity alone makes the efforts of other artists seem quite modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to escape overly academic posturing is almost miraculous, with full credit belonging to the artist. While this is not the first time project to fuse the past and modern styles, its scale are much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk more precarious. The element that truly raises her fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of joy. Similar to the iconic artist during her peak, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you into its tornado. Even when she's breaking your heart apart, you still want to stay alongside her through the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That exuberant energy comes forth brightly on the stunning Italian ballad about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for several moments. Then, all the music drops away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top string crescendo crashes down like comedic impact. The song then segues to the frenetic single driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic with this album is that the listener never quite know—or even want to know—what you is going to next."
Nearly each song finishes in a completely distinct point than where it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of fame over a delicate orchestration only to collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic style starts out dark and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of Lux involves navigating the line between radical innovation and mainstream appeal. This is no coincidence that it has achieved her first release to crack the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in English builds around a chorus that seems to collect increasingly nagging hooks while it spirals skyward. This feat is repeated on a different expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture impact of other breakup songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is pop on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art amid of looming artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism for glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that takes time to completely mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While other major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a lavish banquet where the characters at the table, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flit from discussions about historical figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about useless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
