On the surface, Lux could seem closer to a difficult academic challenge than the latest pop record from an artist whose previous hit featured an international pop icon. Broken into four different parts and voiced in thirteen languages, it is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work that delves into female mystique, religious transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently via the perspective of different women saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars heavenward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter among an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer audacity alone renders the work of other pop stars look quite small.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in avoid overly intellectual chin-stroking is almost a miracle, and complete credit going to Rosalía. Although this is not her first project to fuse historical sounds with the present, the ambitions are much higher here, and the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What really elevates this fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing your heart in two, you still want to be right there through the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This playful energy comes forth clearly on the stirring piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four moments. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh and a comment before a comically exaggerated orchestral surge crashes in like cartoonish impact. The track immediately shifts into the wild track driven by racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The magic with Lux lies in the listener never exactly understand—or even want to know—where it will go to next."
Almost each track ends at a completely different place than where it began. A track examines the transient nature of fame with a featherlight symphony before collapsing in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her earlier trap-infused style begins off dark and sinister, featuring prowling beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to soften its jagged edges.
The Balance Of Art and Accessibility
A key balancing act on the album is navigating the gap of radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major charts: at its core a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. One track sung primarily in English builds around a chorus that feels to collect more and more nagging hooks as it spirals upward. This feat gets echoed by another expansive ballad that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number charms via its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on edge, like a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep source of hidden treasure that takes time to completely mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While some big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record is a lavish banquet at which the guests at the table, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flutter from discussions about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
