At first glance, this work could seem closer to a difficult scholarly examination than a new popular music record from a musician whose previous hit featured an international pop icon. Split across four different sections and voiced in 13 tongues, it is a breathtaking classical-tinged album that delves into feminine mystique, spiritual ascent, and bodily change, often by way of the prism of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched heavenward on this record, supported by the constant sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a vast roll call of collaborators. Its sheer ambition alone makes the work of contemporary pop stars look rather laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking feels nearly miraculous, and sole praise going to the artist. Although this is not her first album to fuse historical sounds with the present, the scale feel far higher here, and the balancing act far more precarious. What really elevates this fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, is an essential sense of joy. Much like the legendary Björk at her height, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener up in its tornado. Even when she is tearing your heart in two, you still desire to stay right there through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That playful energy comes forth brightly during a stunning Italian ballad about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several moments. Suddenly, everything drops silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a declaration before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds in with cartoonish force. The song immediately shifts to the wild single featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm with this album lies in you rarely quite understand—nor want to know—what it is going to next."
Nearly every track ends at a completely different point from how it started. One moment explores the fleeting nature of celebrity over a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating in electronic chaos. Another, a cut that recalls her earlier trap-infused style starts off moody and sinister, with menacing beats, before fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir enter to soften the song's rough corners.
The Balance Between Art and Accessibility
A key balancing act of the album is navigating the gap of bold experimentation and broad accessibility. It is little surprise that the album has become her highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. A song sung primarily in the English language builds around a refrain that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spirals skyward. That trick is repeated by another powerful ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other breakup songs, eviscerating a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
This album is pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of looming AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep source of buried gems that requires patience to completely explore but doesn't seem like a chore. While other big pop albums of the year felt like a meager scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous feast where the guests at the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flit between discussions about historical saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about useless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
