On the surface, Lux could seem more like a difficult scholarly challenge rather than a new popular music record from a musician who just had a previous hit featured a global K-pop star. Divided across 4 distinct sections and sung in 13 tongues, we have a dizzying symphonic work that delves into feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, often through the prism of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—soars skyward here, supported by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning composer among a long list of contributors. The pure audacity alone makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars appear rather small.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly academic posturing feels nearly a miracle, and complete credit belonging to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to fuse historical sounds and modern styles, the stakes are far greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What truly raises this fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of playfulness. Much like the legendary artist during her height, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she is tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to be right there through the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
This exuberant energy shines brightly during a stirring Italian song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several moments. Then, all the music falls away, and there's a gleeful laugh and a declaration before a comically exaggerated string surge crashes down with comedic impact. The track then segues into the wild track driven by racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The charm of this album is that the listener rarely quite know—or even wish to know—what you is going next."
Nearly each track concludes in a completely different point from how it began. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony only to disintegrating in digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused style begins out moody and brooding, featuring prowling beats, until fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Of Art and Accessibility
A key balancing act of Lux is navigating the line of bold innovation and broad appeal. It is no coincidence that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable hits. One track sung primarily in the English language builds on a refrain that seems to collect increasingly nagging hooks as it spins skyward. This trick is repeated by a different powerful track that expands and constricts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- partner labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, like a storybook character hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious reach for high Art amid of looming artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent excess. This is a deep source of buried treasure that requires patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like hard work. While other big pop albums of the year felt like a meager scraps, Lux is a sumptuous feast at which the guests around it, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's most endlessly inventive visionary.
