On the surface, this work might appear more like a challenging university challenge rather than a new popular music record from a musician whose last single featured a global K-pop icon. Divided across 4 different parts and performed in thirteen tongues, we have a dizzying classical-tinged opus that delves into female mystique, spiritual ascent, and corporal transformation, often via the prism of different women saints. The end of a romance—a theme treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward here, supported by the lush sound of a full orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the work of contemporary artists appear quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that this album manages to escape dry intellectual chin-stroking is nothing short of miraculous, with full credit going to Rosalía. Although it's not her first album to blend the past and modern styles, its ambitions are much greater here, and the balancing act more dramatic. The element that really raises her fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Much like the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you into its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking your heart apart, the listener still desire to be right there through the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
This playful spirit comes forth clearly during the stunning Italian ballad about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over several moments. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, and there's a spontaneous giggle and a declaration before a hilariously exaggerated string surge thuds in like cartoonish force. The track immediately shifts to the wild single driven by galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from none other than herself.
"The magic of Lux is that the listener never quite know—or even wish to predict—where it is going to next."
Almost every song finishes in a completely different point than where it began. One moment examines the transient trappings of fame with a featherlight symphony before collapsing into electronic chaos. Another, a cut echoing the artist's previous rhythmic style begins out dark and sinister, featuring prowling beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Balance Of Experiment & Pop
A key balancing act of the album is navigating the gap of bold experimentation and broad appeal. This is little surprise that it has achieved the artist's first release to crack the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a suite of truly catchy hits. A song sung primarily in the English language swells around a chorus that seems to collect increasingly nagging melodies as it spins upward. This trick is echoed by another expansive ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining layered tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a sharp smile, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for high Art amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its built-in excess. It is an abundant well of hidden gems that takes patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While other major releases of the year seemed like a meager meal, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet where the characters at the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.
