Initially, this work could seem closer to a challenging scholarly challenge rather than a new popular music album by an artist who just had a previous hit featured an international K-pop icon. Divided across 4 separate sections and voiced in thirteen languages, it is a breathtaking symphonic opus investigating feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently by way of the lens of different saintly figures. The end of a relationship—a topic treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, carried by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within a long list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity by itself renders the work of other pop stars look rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album manages to escape dry academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, and sole praise belonging to Rosalía. While it's not her first album to alchemize historical sounds and modern styles, its stakes feel much higher here, with the tightrope walk far more precarious. The element that really elevates this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, is a core spirit of joy. Much like the iconic artist at her peak, there is a captivating sense to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking your heart apart, you still desire to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
That exuberant energy comes forth brightly during a stirring piano-led ballad about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything drops silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment prior to a comically exaggerated string crescendo thuds in like comedic force. The track immediately shifts to the frenetic single driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic with Lux is that the listener rarely quite understand—or even wish to predict—where you will go to next."
Nearly each song concludes at a completely different place from how it began. One moment explores the fleeting nature of celebrity with a featherlight symphony before disintegrating in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic style begins out dark and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth its rough corners.
The Balance Of Art & Accessibility
A key achievement of the album is navigating the line between bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is no coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy pop songs. One track performed primarily in English swells on a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks while it spins skyward. That trick gets repeated by a different expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms via its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the singing carry a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
Lux is pop on a grand level, a hungry reach for high artistry amid of impending artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent excess. This is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires patience to fully mine but doesn't seem like a chore. While some big releases of the year seemed like a meager meal, Lux is a lavish feast where the characters around it, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most restlessly inventive visionary.
