At first glance, Lux may look more like a challenging university examination than a new popular music album by a musician whose last hit featured an international K-pop star. Split into four separate sections and performed in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning symphonic work exploring feminine mystery, religious ascent, and physical transformation, often via the prism of various women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with raw openness elsewhere—is launched skyward on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a vast list of contributors. The pure audacity alone renders the efforts of other pop stars appear quite small.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in escape overly intellectual chin-stroking is nothing short of a miracle, and full credit going to Rosalía. While this is not her first project to blend historical sounds with modern styles, the ambitions feel much higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more precarious. What truly raises her fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, dense compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you into its tornado. When she's tearing hearts apart, the listener still want to be right there for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This playful energy comes forth brightly during the stunning piano-led ballad about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several minutes. Then, everything falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral surge thuds in with comedic impact. The track immediately shifts into the wild single driven by galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm of this album lies in the listener never exactly know—or even want to know—what it will go to next."
Nearly every song ends at a totally different point from how it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous rhythmic style begins out moody and brooding, featuring menacing beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir enter to smooth its jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment & Accessibility
A key balancing act of the album is navigating the line between bold innovation and mainstream appeal. This is little coincidence that it has become her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in the English language swells on a refrain that feels to collect more and more nagging hooks while it spins upward. This feat is repeated on another expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, theatrical flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album represents pop on a grand level, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its built-in ridiculousness. It is a deep source of hidden gems that requires time to fully mine but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other big releases of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux offers a lavish banquet where the guests around the table, some intoxicated on holy drink, flutter between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
