Initially, Lux might appear closer to a difficult university examination than the latest popular music album by a musician whose last hit featured a global pop icon. Divided into 4 distinct parts and sung in 13 languages, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced work investigating feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, often by way of the prism of different female saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among a long roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring alone renders the efforts of contemporary artists appear quite modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
That Lux succeeds in transcend dry academic chin-stroking is almost miraculous, and sole credit belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to fuse historical sounds and the present, the stakes feel much higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk more dramatic. What really elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Similar to the iconic artist during her height, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. When she is tearing hearts in two, the listener still desire to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on the stunning piano-led ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything falls silent, and we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top string crescendo crashes down with comedic impact. The track immediately segues to the frenetic single driven by galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm with this album is that the listener rarely exactly understand—or even wish to know—what it is going next."
Almost every song concludes at a completely distinct place than how it began. A track explores the fleeting nature of celebrity with a delicate symphony only to disintegrating in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing her previous rhythmic style starts off dark and brooding, featuring prowling beats, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial achievement on Lux is straddling the gap of bold innovation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has become the artist's highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language swells on a refrain that seems to gather increasingly infectious melodies while it spins upward. That feat gets repeated on a different powerful track that expands and contracts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for high Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of hidden gems that takes time to fully mine but doesn't seem like hard work. While other major releases of the year seemed like a meager meal, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the guests around it, some tipsy on holy wine, flutter from discussions about ancient figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day musical from pop's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
