Initially, Lux may look more like a challenging university examination than the latest pop project from a musician who just had a last hit featured an international pop star. Split across 4 distinct sections and performed in thirteen languages, this is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced opus exploring feminine mystery, religious ascent, and corporal change, frequently through the perspective of various female saints. The end of a relationship—a theme handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched upwards here, buoyed by the lush presence of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a long list of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself renders the efforts of contemporary artists look rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That Lux manages to transcend dry academic posturing is nothing short of miraculous, and full praise going to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to blend historical sounds and the present, the ambitions are far higher here, and the balancing act more dramatic. The element that really elevates this fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, is a core sense of joy. Similar to the iconic artist at her peak, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. When she is tearing hearts in two, the listener nevertheless desire to stay right there through the journey.
A Prime Moment of Joy
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly during a stirring piano-led song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four moments. Then, everything falls away, and there's a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes in with comedic force. The song then segues into the frenetic track driven by galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The magic with this album lies in you rarely quite know—or even wish to know—what you will go to next."
Almost each song ends in a totally different point than where it started. A track examines the transient nature of fame over a delicate symphony only to disintegrating into electronic chaos. Another, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic work starts out dark and sinister, with menacing vocals, before sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir enter to smooth its jagged edges.
The Balance Between Art & Pop
A key achievement of Lux is straddling the line between bold innovation and broad appeal. It is no surprise that the album has become the artist's highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a collection of truly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in the English language swells around a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging melodies as it spins skyward. That feat is echoed by a different powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns the cultural impact of other heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
Lux represents pop on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry amid of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its inherent excess. This is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires time to completely explore but doesn't seem like hard work. While other big releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, this record is a lavish banquet where the guests around the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit from conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless men. It is a contemporary musical from music's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
