On the surface, this album may look closer to an arduous academic examination than the latest popular music project by an artist who just had a last hit was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Divided across four different movements and voiced in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying symphonic album that delves into feminine mystery, religious ascent, and bodily change, often via the lens of different female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, supported by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among an extensive list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity by itself makes the efforts of other pop stars look quite modest.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend overly academic chin-stroking is nearly a miracle, and complete credit going to the artist. Although this is not the first time album to blend the past with the present, its ambitions are far higher here, with the balancing act more precarious. The element that truly elevates her fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts in two, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there through the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
That playful energy shines brightly on a stirring Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over several moments. Suddenly, everything falls silent, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes down with comedic impact. The track then segues into the frenetic single featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic of Lux lies in the listener never exactly understand—or even wish to predict—where you will go to next."
Nearly every song finishes in a totally distinct place than where it started. A track examines the transient trappings of celebrity over a delicate symphony before disintegrating into electronic chaos. Another, a song echoing her previous trap-infused work starts off dark and brooding, with prowling beats, until sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to soften its jagged edges.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
A key achievement on Lux is straddling the line of bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. It is no coincidence that it has become her first release to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song sung entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to collect more and more infectious hooks as it spins upward. That trick is echoed on another powerful track that expands and contracts, weaving layered melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms via its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp smile, like a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully controls its inherent excess. It is an abundant well of hidden treasure that requires time to fully explore but never seem like hard work. Where some major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux is a lavish banquet at which the guests at it, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flutter from conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's most restlessly creative visionary.
