On the surface, this work may look more like a challenging university examination than a new pop project from a musician who just had a previous hit featured a global pop icon. Split into four different sections and sung in thirteen languages, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced opus that delves into feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and physical change, often via the perspective of various women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with raw openness elsewhere—soars skyward on this record, supported by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a vast list of collaborators. The pure ambition alone renders the work of contemporary pop stars appear quite laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in escape dry academic posturing is almost a miracle, with sole credit going to Rosalía. Although it's not her first album to alchemize the past and modern styles, its ambitions are much greater on Lux, with the balancing act more pronounced. The element that truly raises her fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be a core sense of fun. Much like the iconic Björk during her peak, you find a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she's tearing hearts in two, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That exuberant energy comes forth clearly during a stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Then, everything falls silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge thuds down with comedic force. The song immediately segues into the frenetic single featuring racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from the artist herself.
"The charm with Lux lies in the listener never quite understand—nor wish to know—what you will go to next."
Almost each song ends at a completely different point from where it started. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a featherlight symphony before disintegrating in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing the artist's earlier rhythmic work begins out dark and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Art and Accessibility
A key balancing act of Lux is straddling the line of radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is no coincidence that it has become her first work to crack the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed primarily in English swells on a refrain that seems to gather more and more nagging hooks while it spirals upward. That trick is repeated on a different powerful ballad that grows and constricts, weaving layered tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song charms via its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture impact of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for high artistry in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep well of hidden treasure that requires patience to fully explore but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record offers a lavish feast where the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flit between conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative visionary.
