At first glance, this work may look closer to a challenging university challenge than the latest pop project by a musician who just had a previous single featured a global K-pop star. Split into four separate parts and performed in 13 languages, it is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced work that delves into feminine mystery, religious ascent, and bodily change, often via the lens of various female saints. The end of a romance—a theme treated with raw openness elsewhere—soars heavenward on this record, buoyed by the lush sound of a major orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast list of collaborators. The pure ambition by itself renders the work of contemporary pop stars look quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend overly intellectual chin-stroking is almost a miracle, with full credit going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to alchemize the past with modern styles, the ambitions feel far higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What really raises this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. When she is tearing hearts apart, the listener still desire to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on the stirring piano-led song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops away, and we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously exaggerated string surge thuds down like cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues into the wild single featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The magic with this album lies in the listener never exactly know—or even wish to predict—where it will go next."
Nearly each song ends in a totally distinct place than how it began. A track examines the fleeting trappings of fame with a delicate symphony only to collapsing into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her previous rhythmic work starts off moody and sinister, with menacing beats, until sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften its jagged corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
A key achievement on Lux is straddling the gap of radical innovation and mainstream accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has become her first work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in English swells around a chorus that seems to collect more and more infectious hooks while it spirals upward. This feat is echoed by a different expansive track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song charms via its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of other breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux is pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for high Art amid of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its inherent excess. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that takes time to fully explore but doesn't feels like a chore. Where other major releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the characters at it, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flit from conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's truly restlessly creative visionary.
