At first glance, Lux could seem closer to a difficult university challenge rather than a new popular music project by an artist whose last hit featured a global pop icon. Broken across four different sections and sung in thirteen languages, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged work that delves into female mystery, religious transcendence, and bodily transformation, often through the perspective of various female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself renders the work of other artists look rather small.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in escape dry academic chin-stroking is almost a miracle, and sole credit going to Rosalía. While it's not her first project to fuse historical sounds with modern styles, its scale feel far higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more precarious. What really raises her fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of fun. Much like the legendary Björk at her peak, you find a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. Even when she is breaking your heart apart, you still desire to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That exuberant energy shines clearly during a stunning piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh and a declaration before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds down with comedic force. The track immediately segues into the frenetic single driven by galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album is that the listener never quite know—or even wish to know—what it is going next."
Almost each song finishes at a completely distinct point than where it started. One moment examines the fleeting nature of fame with a delicate orchestration only to collapsing into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused style begins off dark and brooding, with prowling beats, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth its rough corners.
The Bridge Of Art and Pop
Another crucial balancing act of Lux is straddling the line between bold experimentation and broad accessibility. It is little coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable hits. A song performed entirely in English builds around a chorus that feels to gather more and more nagging melodies while it spins skyward. This feat is repeated by another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that requires time to completely explore but doesn't feels like hard work. Where some major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on meal, this record offers a lavish feast at which the characters at it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flit between conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about useless men. It is a modern-day musical from music's most restlessly creative practitioner.
