On the surface, Lux could seem more like an arduous university challenge rather than a new popular music project from an artist whose previous single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Split into four separate sections and performed in thirteen languages, it is a head-spinning classical-tinged work exploring feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently by way of the perspective of various female saints. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward here, carried by the lush sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer audacity alone makes the work of contemporary pop stars appear quite small.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to transcend dry academic posturing is nearly miraculous, and complete praise going to Rosalía. Although it's not her first project to fuse the past with modern styles, the ambitions are much greater on Lux, with the balancing act more pronounced. The element that really raises this fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary artist during her height, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls you up in its whirlwind. Even when she is breaking hearts apart, the listener nevertheless desire to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This exuberant spirit comes forth clearly on the stunning Italian ballad about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over several minutes. Then, everything drops silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous giggle and a declaration before a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds down with comedic impact. The track immediately segues into the frenetic track driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The magic of this album is that the listener never exactly know—or even want to know—what you will go next."
Almost every song finishes in a completely distinct point from where it started. A track examines the transient nature of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before collapsing in electronic chaos. Another, a song that recalls her earlier trap-infused work starts off moody and brooding, featuring menacing beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to soften the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Of Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act of the album is straddling the line of bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is little coincidence that it has become the artist's first work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language builds around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly infectious hooks while it spirals skyward. This feat is repeated on another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, weaving layered melodies like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture impact of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a painted-on smile, like a storybook character concealing a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for high Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism for sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep source of hidden gems that requires patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While other big pop albums of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record is a lavish banquet at which the characters at it, some tipsy on holy wine, flutter between conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day musical from music's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
