At first glance, this album might appear more like a challenging university examination than the latest pop album from a musician whose last single featured a global pop icon. Divided across 4 different sections and performed in thirteen languages, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced album that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and corporal transformation, frequently through the prism of various women saints. The end of a romance—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a long roll call of collaborators. Its sheer audacity alone renders the work of contemporary artists appear rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to transcend overly intellectual posturing feels almost a miracle, with full credit going to Rosalía. While it's not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its scale are far higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk more pronounced. The element that really raises this fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, is a core sense of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you into its whirlwind. When she's breaking hearts apart, you nevertheless desire to stay alongside her through the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
This playful energy shines brightly during a stirring piano-led song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over several moments. Suddenly, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes down with cartoonish impact. The song then segues into the frenetic single featuring racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise role from the artist herself.
"The magic with Lux lies in the listener rarely exactly know—or even wish to predict—where you is going next."
Almost every track ends at a totally distinct point from how it started. One moment examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight symphony before disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused style begins off dark and sinister, with menacing beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth its jagged corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of Lux is straddling the line of bold innovation and mainstream appeal. It is no surprise that it has achieved her highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. One track sung primarily in English builds on a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging melodies as it spins skyward. That trick is echoed on another expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered tunes like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural honesty of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the vocals have a sharp smile, like a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album represents pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its built-in excess. It is an abundant source of buried gems that takes patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While other major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet where the guests at the table, some intoxicated on holy wine, flit from discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly restlessly inventive visionary.
