Initially, this work might appear closer to a challenging scholarly challenge rather than the latest popular music record by an artist whose previous single featured an international pop icon. Divided into 4 different parts and voiced in 13 languages, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced opus that delves into female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently by way of the prism of different female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched skyward on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter among an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer audacity alone makes the work of contemporary artists look quite small.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that this album succeeds in avoid dry academic chin-stroking is almost miraculous, with sole praise belonging to Rosalía. While this is not her first project to alchemize historical sounds and modern styles, the stakes feel far greater here, with the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What truly raises this fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be a core sense of fun. Much like the legendary artist at her peak, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. When she's breaking your heart in two, the listener still desire to be alongside her through the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This playful spirit shines brightly on the stirring Italian song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for more than four moments. Suddenly, everything falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top string crescendo crashes down like cartoonish force. The song immediately shifts into the frenetic track featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album is that you rarely quite know—nor want to predict—what you is going next."
Nearly every track finishes in a totally distinct point from where it began. A track explores the transient nature of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration before collapsing in digital cacophony. Another, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic work begins out moody and sinister, with menacing beats, before sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
Another crucial achievement on the album involves straddling the gap between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has achieved her highest-charting release to break into the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song sung entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that seems to collect increasingly nagging melodies while it spirals upward. This trick is echoed by a different expansive track that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares with cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for high artistry in an era of looming artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep source of buried treasure that takes time to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some major releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux is a lavish feast where the guests around it, perhaps intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter from discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about useless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
