On the surface, Lux may look more like a challenging academic challenge than a new popular music record from an artist who just had a last single featured an international K-pop star. Split across 4 separate sections and voiced in thirteen languages, we have a dizzying symphonic work that delves into female mystery, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, often by way of the perspective of various women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—is launched upwards here, buoyed by the constant presence of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast roll call of contributors. The pure audacity by itself makes the work of contemporary pop stars seem rather modest.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in avoid dry intellectual posturing is nearly a miracle, with full praise going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds with modern styles, its scale feel far greater here, with the tightrope walk far more precarious. The element that really elevates her fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, dense compositions, and engrained drama, is an essential sense of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you into its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing hearts in two, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there for the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
That exuberant spirit comes forth clearly on the stunning piano-led song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, and there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment before a comically exaggerated orchestral surge crashes down like cartoonish force. The song then segues into the wild single driven by racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The magic with Lux lies in you rarely exactly know—or even wish to predict—what you will go to next."
Almost every song ends at a completely distinct place than how it began. A track explores the fleeting nature of fame with a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her previous trap-infused style begins off dark and brooding, with menacing beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Pop
Another crucial balancing act on Lux is straddling the line of bold experimentation and broad appeal. This is no coincidence that the album has become the artist's highest-charting release to crack the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed primarily in English builds around a refrain that feels to gather more and more nagging melodies as it spins skyward. That feat gets echoed on another expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered tunes like an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused song charms with its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural honesty of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the vocals have a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for high Art in an era of impending artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism for glorious transcendence, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its built-in excess. It is an abundant well of buried gems that requires time to fully explore but never feels like hard work. Where some major releases of the year felt like a meager meal, this record is a lavish banquet at which the characters around the table, some tipsy on holy wine, flutter from discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary musical from pop's most endlessly inventive visionary.
