Initially, Lux may look closer to a difficult academic quiz than the latest pop project by a musician who just had a previous hit featured an international pop star. Broken across four distinct sections and voiced in 13 languages, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged opus that delves into feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently by way of the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars upwards here, buoyed by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a long roll call of contributors. The pure daring alone renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars seem quite laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
That Lux manages to avoid overly intellectual posturing is nothing short of miraculous, and sole praise belonging to Rosalía. While this is not her first project to fuse historical sounds and modern styles, the ambitions are much greater here, with the balancing act far more pronounced. What truly elevates her fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and inherent drama, is an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the iconic artist at her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. When she's breaking your heart in two, the listener nevertheless desire to be right there for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That playful spirit comes forth clearly during a stunning piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over several moments. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge thuds in like cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues to the frenetic track driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The charm of this album is that you never quite understand—or even want to know—where it is going next."
Nearly every song ends in a completely distinct point than where it began. A track examines the transient trappings of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Another, a cut echoing her previous rhythmic style begins off moody and brooding, featuring prowling beats, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to soften its rough corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment and Pop
A key balancing act on the album is navigating the line of radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no coincidence that it has become the artist's first work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. A song sung entirely in English swells on a refrain that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks as it spins skyward. This feat gets echoed on a different expansive ballad that grows and contracts, weaving layered melodies like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious reach for high Art in an era of looming artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent excess. It is a deep well of hidden treasure that requires patience to fully mine but never seem like hard work. While some big releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet where the guests at the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit from discussions about ancient saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's most restlessly creative practitioner.
