On the surface, Lux could seem more like a challenging scholarly quiz than a new pop record from a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Split into four distinct sections and sung in 13 tongues, it is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work exploring female mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, often through the perspective of various female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer among a vast roll call of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself makes the efforts of contemporary artists seem rather laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
That Lux succeeds in escape dry academic posturing is nearly miraculous, with complete praise belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not her first project to blend the past with the present, the stakes feel far greater here, and the tightrope walk more pronounced. What really elevates this fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Much like the legendary Björk at her height, there is a captivating sense to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. When she's tearing your heart apart, the listener still want to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit shines brightly during the stunning Italian song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over several moments. Suddenly, everything falls silent, and we hear a gleeful giggle and a comment prior to a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds in with comedic impact. The song then segues into the frenetic track featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in you rarely exactly know—or even want to predict—where it will go to next."
Almost each track concludes in a completely different place than where it started. One moment explores the fleeting nature of fame with a featherlight orchestration before collapsing into digital chaos. Another, a song that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work starts off moody and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of the album is navigating the gap of bold innovation and broad appeal. This is no surprise that it has achieved her highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in the English language builds on a refrain that feels to collect increasingly nagging hooks as it spins upward. This trick gets repeated on a different expansive ballad that expands and constricts, weaving layered melodies as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns the pop culture honesty of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album is popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for capital-A Art amid of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of buried gems that takes time to completely explore but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other big releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around it, some intoxicated on holy wine, flit between conversations about ancient figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
