At first glance, Lux may look more like a difficult scholarly examination than a new popular music project from a musician who just had a last single featured a global pop icon. Split into four separate sections and sung in thirteen tongues, this is a breathtaking symphonic album that delves into female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and corporal change, frequently via the prism of various female saints. The end of a relationship—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, carried by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter within a long roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself renders the efforts of contemporary artists seem quite small.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in escape dry academic posturing is nearly miraculous, with full credit going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to fuse the past with modern styles, the ambitions are much greater here, with the balancing act far more precarious. The element that truly elevates her fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is a core spirit of playfulness. Much like the legendary Björk at her height, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its tornado. When she's breaking your heart apart, you still want to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit shines clearly on the stirring Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for several minutes. Suddenly, everything drops away, and we hear a spontaneous laugh and a comment before a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo crashes down like comedic impact. The song immediately shifts into the wild track driven by racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo role from none other than herself.
"The charm of Lux is that you rarely quite know—nor wish to know—what it is going next."
Nearly each song concludes at a totally distinct point than where it began. One moment examines the transient nature of fame over a delicate orchestration before collapsing in digital cacophony. Another, a song that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused style begins out moody and sinister, with prowling beats, before fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to smooth its jagged corners.
The Balance Of Art & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on the album involves straddling the line of radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has become her first release to crack the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in the English language swells on a refrain that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies while it spins skyward. This trick gets echoed by a different expansive track that grows and constricts, weaving layered melodies as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a painted-on edge, like a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
This album represents pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of buried gems that takes patience to fully mine but doesn't seem like hard work. Where other major pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the guests around the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common gossip about hopeless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative visionary.
