On the surface, this album could seem more like a challenging university challenge than the latest pop project by an artist whose last hit featured a global K-pop star. Split into 4 distinct sections and performed in 13 tongues, it is a breathtaking symphonic work that delves into female mystery, religious ascent, and corporal change, frequently by way of the perspective of different saintly figures. The end of a love affair—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—soars upwards on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure daring alone makes the work of contemporary pop stars seem rather laughable.
Transcending Academic Pretense
That Lux succeeds in escape overly intellectual chin-stroking is nothing short of a miracle, and sole credit going to Rosalía. While this is not her first project to fuse historical sounds and modern styles, its stakes are much higher here, and the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that truly raises this fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential sense of playfulness. Much like the legendary artist during her height, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's singing that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing hearts apart, the listener still want to be right there through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit shines clearly on a stirring piano-led ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for several minutes. Suddenly, everything drops silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle and a declaration before a comically over-the-top string surge thuds down like cartoonish force. The track then shifts to the wild track driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The charm of this album is that the listener rarely quite understand—nor want to know—what you will go next."
Almost every track ends in a completely different point from how it began. One moment examines the transient nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony before disintegrating into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her previous rhythmic work starts out dark and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir enter to smooth its jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Art & Pop
Another crucial achievement on the album is straddling the line between radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is no coincidence that the album has become her first work to break into the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language builds around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly infectious melodies while it spirals skyward. This trick gets repeated by a different expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered melodies like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms with its playful, 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 "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the singing carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for high artistry amid of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep source of hidden gems that requires time to fully explore but doesn't feels like a chore. While other major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux is a lavish banquet at which the characters around the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flutter from conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most restlessly creative visionary.
