Initially, Lux could seem more like a challenging academic challenge than a new pop album by an artist whose previous single was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Broken into four distinct parts and sung in 13 languages, it is a breathtaking symphonic opus investigating feminine mystique, religious ascent, and physical change, frequently via the prism of various women saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—is shot skyward here, supported by the lush presence of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among an extensive roll call of contributors. Its sheer audacity alone renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars look rather laughable.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That Lux manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking is nearly a miracle, with complete credit belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to blend historical sounds and the present, the scale are much greater here, and the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What truly raises her fourth release, outside of its complex tunes, dense compositions, and engrained drama, is an essential sense of playfulness. Much like the iconic artist during her height, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls you up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking your heart in two, you still desire to stay right there for the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on the stunning Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for several moments. Then, all the music falls away, and we hear a gleeful giggle and a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes in like cartoonish impact. The song immediately shifts to the wild track featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm of this album is that you rarely quite understand—nor wish to predict—where it will go to next."
Almost each track finishes in a completely different place from where it started. A track explores the fleeting trappings of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's earlier rhythmic style begins out moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to soften its jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Experiment and Accessibility
A key achievement of Lux is navigating the gap between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is little coincidence that it has achieved the artist's first work to crack the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed primarily in English swells on a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks as it spins upward. That trick gets echoed by another expansive ballad that expands and contracts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms via its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on smile, like a storybook character hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
This album is pop on a grand level, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art amid of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep source of hidden gems that takes time to fully mine but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish feast at which the characters around the table, some tipsy on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about ancient saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about useless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most restlessly inventive practitioner.
