On the surface, this work could seem closer to an arduous academic quiz rather than a new pop album by an artist whose last hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Split into 4 different parts and voiced in 13 tongues, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged opus exploring feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently through the lens of different women saints. The end of a love affair—a theme handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, carried by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a long roll call of contributors. The pure ambition by itself renders the efforts of other artists seem quite laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album manages to escape dry academic posturing feels nearly miraculous, with full praise going to Rosalía. Although it's not her first project to alchemize the past and the present, its ambitions feel much greater here, with the balancing act more dramatic. What truly elevates her fourth release, outside of its complex tunes, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of joy. Much like the legendary artist at her height, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls you up in its whirlwind. When she's breaking hearts apart, you still want to be right there for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit comes forth clearly on the stirring piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over several minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls away, and there's a gleeful giggle and a declaration prior to a hilariously over-the-top string surge thuds in like comedic force. The track immediately segues to the wild single driven by galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with Lux is that the listener never exactly understand—or even want to know—what it will go to next."
Nearly every track concludes at a completely different point than how it started. One moment explores the fleeting nature of fame with a featherlight orchestration before collapsing in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her earlier rhythmic work begins out moody and brooding, with menacing beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Pop
Another crucial achievement on the album involves straddling the gap of radical innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is little coincidence that the album has become her highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy hits. A song sung entirely in English swells on a refrain that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks while it spirals upward. That trick is echoed by a different expansive track that grows and constricts, weaving multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the singing carry a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art amid of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its own inherent excess. It is a deep source of hidden treasure that takes patience to fully mine but never feels like a chore. Where other major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux offers a lavish banquet at which the guests around it, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flutter between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary musical from pop's most restlessly creative practitioner.
