At first glance, this work might appear closer to a difficult university challenge than the latest pop album by a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Split across four different movements and sung in thirteen tongues, it is a dizzying classical-tinged opus exploring feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and bodily change, frequently via the lens of different women saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot heavenward on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer within a long list of contributors. The pure ambition alone renders the work of contemporary artists seem rather laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
That this album manages to transcend overly intellectual posturing is nearly a miracle, with full praise belonging to the artist. Although it's not the first time album to fuse the past with the present, the ambitions feel much greater on Lux, with the balancing act more pronounced. The element that truly elevates her fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is a core spirit of joy. Similar to the iconic Björk during her peak, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. When she's breaking your heart in two, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
That playful spirit shines brightly on the stirring Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for more than four moments. Then, everything falls away, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle and a comment prior to a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds in with comedic impact. The song then segues to the wild single driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic with Lux is that you rarely exactly understand—or even wish to predict—where you will go to next."
Almost each track ends at a completely different place from where it started. One moment explores the fleeting nature of fame over a delicate orchestration before collapsing in digital cacophony. Another, a song echoing her previous trap-infused style begins out moody and brooding, with menacing beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth its jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Pop
A key balancing act of the album is navigating the line between bold innovation and mainstream appeal. This is little coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's first release to crack the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song sung primarily in the English language swells on a refrain that seems to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spins skyward. That trick gets repeated by another expansive track that grows and constricts, weaving multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns the cultural impact of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a sharp smile, like a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art amid of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism for glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its own built-in excess. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires time to completely explore but never seem like hard work. While some major releases of the year seemed like a meager meal, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters at the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flit between conversations about historical saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about hopeless men. It is a modern-day musical from music's most endlessly inventive visionary.
