On the surface, Lux might appear closer to a challenging academic quiz than a new popular music record by a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Split into four separate parts and voiced in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work that delves into female mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical change, frequently via the perspective of different female saints. The end of a love affair—a theme handled with raw openness elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, carried by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the work of other pop stars look rather small.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in avoid dry intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, and sole praise going to Rosalía. While this is not her first project to alchemize historical sounds with modern styles, the scale feel far higher on Lux, with the balancing act far more pronounced. What truly raises her fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential sense of joy. Much like the iconic artist during her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts in two, you nevertheless desire to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
This playful spirit comes forth clearly during a stunning Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for several minutes. Suddenly, everything drops silent, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top string surge crashes down with comedic force. The song immediately shifts into the wild track featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic with Lux lies in you never exactly understand—or even want to predict—what you will go next."
Almost every song ends at a totally different point than how it started. A track examines the fleeting nature of fame over a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating into digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic style begins off moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Between Art & Pop
Another crucial achievement on Lux is navigating the line of radical experimentation and broad appeal. This is no surprise that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. A song sung primarily in English builds on a refrain that feels to collect more and more infectious melodies while it spirals upward. That trick is repeated on a different powerful track that grows and constricts, weaving layered melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms via its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for high artistry in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its inherent excess. This is an abundant source of buried gems that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't seem like a chore. Where some big pop albums of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record is a lavish banquet at which the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter from discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
