On the surface, Lux might appear more like a difficult academic challenge than a new pop record by an artist who just had a previous single was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Split across 4 distinct movements and performed in 13 languages, we have a dizzying symphonic album exploring female mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical change, frequently through the perspective of various saintly figures. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars upwards here, buoyed by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity alone makes the work of contemporary artists seem rather modest.
Transcending Academic Exercise
That Lux manages to avoid overly intellectual chin-stroking feels almost a miracle, and sole praise belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to blend historical sounds with modern styles, its ambitions are much greater here, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that really elevates this fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of joy. Much like the iconic artist during her peak, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. When she is breaking your heart in two, the listener still desire to be right there for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That playful spirit shines brightly during a stirring Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four moments. Suddenly, everything drops silent, and we hear a spontaneous giggle and a declaration before a comically exaggerated orchestral surge thuds in with cartoonish force. The track immediately segues to the wild single driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The magic of Lux lies in the listener rarely quite understand—or even want to predict—what you will go to next."
Almost each song finishes in a completely different point from how it started. A track examines the transient nature of fame over a featherlight symphony before collapsing in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut echoing the artist's earlier rhythmic work starts off dark and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to smooth its rough edges.
The Bridge Of Art and Pop
Another crucial balancing act of Lux is navigating the gap between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. This is no surprise that the album has achieved her first release to break into the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a collection of truly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to collect more and more infectious hooks while it spirals upward. This feat gets echoed by a different powerful track that grows and constricts, intertwining layered melodies like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture honesty of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "emotional bully".
- Across the album, the vocals have a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
Lux represents popular music on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism for glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep source of hidden gems that takes time to completely mine but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some big pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, this record is a sumptuous feast at which the characters around it, some tipsy on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared stories about useless men. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
