At first glance, this work could seem more like a challenging academic quiz rather than a new popular music album from an artist whose previous single featured a global pop icon. Split into four distinct parts and voiced in 13 languages, it is a breathtaking classical-tinged opus investigating female mystique, religious transcendence, and bodily change, often by way of the prism of different saintly figures. The end of a romance—a topic treated with raw openness elsewhere—is shot heavenward here, supported by the lush sound of a major symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter within a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer daring alone renders the work of other artists seem quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That this album succeeds in avoid overly academic posturing is almost miraculous, with complete credit belonging to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to fuse the past with modern styles, its scale feel far greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk more pronounced. What really elevates her fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, dense compositions, and engrained drama, is an essential sense of playfulness. Much like the iconic Björk at her height, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener up in its tornado. When she is breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to be right there for the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That playful spirit shines clearly on a stunning Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four moments. Then, everything falls silent, and there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment before a comically over-the-top string crescendo crashes in with cartoonish impact. The song immediately segues into the wild single featuring racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The magic with Lux lies in the listener never exactly know—or even wish to know—where it is going to next."
Nearly each song finishes in a completely distinct point than how it started. A track examines the transient nature of fame with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating into electronic chaos. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused work begins off dark and brooding, with prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus enter to smooth its jagged edges.
The Balance Between Experiment and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of Lux is navigating the line between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. This is no coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's first release to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song performed entirely in English swells around a refrain that feels to collect increasingly nagging melodies as it spirals skyward. That trick is repeated on another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining layered tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Across the album, the singing have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its own built-in excess. It is a deep well of buried gems that requires time to fully explore but doesn't seem like a chore. Where other major releases of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record is a lavish feast at which the guests around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flit between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common gossip about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most restlessly creative visionary.
