On the surface, this album could seem more like a challenging university examination than the latest pop project by an artist whose last single featured an international K-pop star. Broken into four separate parts and sung in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning symphonic opus exploring feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, frequently by way of the prism of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot upwards on this record, carried by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer among a vast roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring alone makes the work of other artists look quite modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in transcend overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, with sole praise going to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to alchemize the past and the present, the ambitions feel much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What truly elevates this fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, rich compositions, and inherent drama, is a core spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist at her height, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she is breaking your heart apart, you still want to stay right there for the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That playful energy shines brightly during a stunning Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything falls away, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge thuds in with cartoonish force. The track immediately shifts to the frenetic track featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The magic of Lux is that the listener rarely quite understand—nor want to know—what it will go next."
Nearly each song concludes in a totally different point from where it began. A track explores the transient nature of fame with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in digital chaos. Another, a song that recalls her earlier rhythmic work starts out moody and brooding, with prowling beats, until sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Art and Accessibility
A key achievement on the album is navigating the gap of bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is no surprise that the album has become her highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable hits. A song performed entirely in English builds on a chorus that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spins upward. This trick is echoed by a different powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining layered melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its own inherent excess. It is a deep well of buried treasure that takes patience to fully mine but never feels like a chore. While some major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record offers a lavish feast where the guests at it, some tipsy on holy drink, flutter from conversations about historical figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
