Initially, Lux may look more like an arduous scholarly quiz than a new popular music album from an artist whose previous single featured an international pop icon. Broken across 4 distinct parts and performed in thirteen languages, this is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album investigating feminine mystique, religious ascent, and physical transformation, often through the perspective of different women saints. The end of a romance—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward here, buoyed by the constant presence of a major orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter among an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer ambition alone renders the work of other artists appear rather small.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to transcend dry intellectual posturing is nothing short of a miracle, and full credit belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not her first project to alchemize the past and modern styles, its scale feel far higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that truly raises her fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, rich compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be a core spirit of playfulness. Much like the iconic Björk at her peak, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. When she is tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless desire to stay alongside her through the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That exuberant energy comes forth clearly on a stunning piano-led song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops away, and we hear a gleeful laugh and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds down like cartoonish impact. The song then segues into the wild track featuring racing strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise role from the artist herself.
"The magic with this album lies in you rarely quite understand—or even wish to know—where you will go next."
Almost every song ends in a completely different place than where it started. A track examines the fleeting nature of fame over a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating in digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic style starts off moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus enter to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Art and Accessibility
A key balancing act of Lux is navigating the line of radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a suite of truly undeniable hits. One track sung entirely in English swells on a refrain that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks as it spins skyward. This trick is repeated by another expansive ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song charms with its jaunty, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural honesty of other breakup anthems, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp smile, akin to a storybook character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of impending artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism for sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other major releases of the year seemed like a meager meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the guests around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter from conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common gossip about useless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly restlessly creative visionary.
