At first glance, Lux might appear closer to a difficult scholarly quiz than a new popular music record from a musician who just had a previous single featured an international K-pop icon. Split across 4 different sections and performed in thirteen languages, this is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work that delves into feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, often by way of the lens of different women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—soars upwards here, buoyed by the constant sound of a major orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a long roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring alone makes the efforts of contemporary artists appear quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to avoid overly academic posturing is nothing short of miraculous, with full praise going to Rosalía. Although this is not her first album to alchemize historical sounds with modern styles, its scale feel far higher here, and the tightrope walk more dramatic. The element that really raises this fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Much like the iconic artist during her peak, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing your heart apart, the listener nevertheless desire to be right there for the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That playful spirit shines clearly on the stunning Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, and there's a gleeful laugh and a comment prior to a comically over-the-top string crescendo crashes down with cartoonish impact. The song immediately segues into the frenetic single driven by galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The magic of Lux is that you rarely quite understand—nor want to predict—what you is going next."
Almost every track finishes in a totally distinct point than how it began. A track explores the transient nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony only to collapsing in digital chaos. Another, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic work begins off moody and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften its jagged edges.
The Balance Between Experiment and Pop
A key balancing act of Lux involves navigating the line between bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is little surprise that the album has become the artist's first release to crack the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in the English language swells around a chorus that seems to gather increasingly infectious melodies while it spirals upward. That trick is echoed by a different expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining layered melodies like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture honesty of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing have a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook character hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
Lux represents pop on a grand level, a hungry grasp for high artistry in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of buried treasure that requires patience to fully mine but doesn't seem like a chore. Where some big pop albums of the year seemed like a meager meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the guests at the table, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flit from discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless men. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
