At first glance, this album might appear more like an arduous scholarly quiz than the latest popular music project from a musician who just had a last single featured a global K-pop icon. Broken across four different movements and sung in 13 tongues, it is a breathtaking symphonic opus exploring female mystery, spiritual ascent, and bodily change, frequently through the prism of different female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a major orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter within a vast roll call of contributors. Its sheer daring by itself makes the work of other artists seem rather laughable.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that this album manages to transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, and complete credit belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time project to blend the past and the present, its scale feel much higher here, and the balancing act more precarious. What really elevates her fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist during her peak, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. Even when she's tearing hearts in two, you nevertheless want to stay right there for the journey.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly during a stunning piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four moments. Then, everything drops away, and there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment prior to a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds in with cartoonish impact. The song immediately shifts into the wild single featuring racing strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic of Lux is that you rarely quite know—nor wish to predict—where it is going to next."
Nearly each track finishes in a totally distinct place from where it started. A track explores the transient trappings of fame over a featherlight symphony only to collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work starts out moody and brooding, with prowling beats, until fluttering traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Of Art and Pop
Another crucial achievement of Lux involves straddling the gap between bold innovation and broad appeal. It is little coincidence that it has achieved her first work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language builds on a chorus that feels to collect increasingly nagging hooks as it spirals skyward. That trick gets echoed by a different expansive ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple tunes like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like song seduces via its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a grand level, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of hidden treasure that requires time to completely explore but never seem like a chore. Where some major releases of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record is a lavish feast at which the guests around the table, some tipsy on holy drink, flutter between conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's most endlessly creative visionary.
