Initially, Lux may look closer to a challenging scholarly quiz than the latest pop record from a musician who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided across four distinct sections and performed in 13 tongues, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged work that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and corporal change, often through the prism of various women saints. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars upwards on this record, carried by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast list of contributors. The pure daring alone renders the work of other artists seem quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in transcend dry intellectual posturing is nothing short of miraculous, and complete praise going to the artist. Although it's not her first album to fuse the past with the present, its scale feel far greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that really elevates this fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, dense compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Much like the iconic Björk at her height, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. Even when she is breaking your heart apart, you still desire to stay right there through the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That playful energy comes forth brightly during the stirring piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over several minutes. Then, everything falls away, and there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously exaggerated string crescendo thuds in with comedic force. The track then shifts into the wild single featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with Lux lies in you rarely quite know—or even wish to predict—what you is going next."
Nearly each track concludes at a completely different point from where it began. One moment examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony before collapsing in electronic chaos. Another, a cut echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused work begins out moody and brooding, with prowling beats, until sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Between Art and Pop
A key balancing act on the album involves navigating the line of bold innovation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has become the artist's highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a suite of truly undeniable hits. A song performed primarily in the English language swells around a refrain that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks while it spins skyward. That feat is repeated by a different expansive ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining layered tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of other breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a grand level, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its built-in excess. It is a deep source of hidden gems that takes time to fully explore but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager scraps, Lux is a sumptuous feast at which the characters at the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flit from discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common gossip about useless men. It is a contemporary musical from pop's most endlessly creative practitioner.
