At first glance, Lux might appear more like an arduous scholarly examination than the latest popular music album by a musician whose last single featured a global pop icon. Broken into 4 distinct movements and sung in thirteen tongues, it is a dizzying symphonic work investigating feminine mystique, spiritual ascent, and bodily change, frequently via the lens of various female saints. The end of a romance—a theme handled with raw openness elsewhere—is shot skyward here, carried by the lush sound of a major symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast roll call of contributors. The pure audacity by itself renders the work of contemporary pop stars appear quite modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
That Lux manages to transcend overly intellectual posturing is nearly miraculous, with complete credit going to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to blend the past with modern styles, its scale feel much greater here, with the tightrope walk more precarious. What truly elevates this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, rich compositions, and inherent drama, is a core spirit of playfulness. Much like the legendary artist at her height, you find a captivating quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she is tearing hearts in two, the listener nevertheless desire to stay right there through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on a stirring piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several moments. Then, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh and a declaration before a comically exaggerated orchestral surge crashes in like comedic impact. The track then segues into the frenetic single featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm with this album lies in you rarely quite know—or even want to predict—where you is going next."
Nearly every track concludes at a completely distinct place from how it began. A track explores the fleeting nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony only to collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's earlier rhythmic work starts off moody and brooding, featuring menacing beats, before fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its rough corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Accessibility
A key achievement of the album is straddling the gap between radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is no coincidence that the album has achieved her first release to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a collection of truly catchy hits. One track sung entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to gather increasingly infectious hooks as it spirals skyward. That feat gets repeated on a different expansive ballad that expands and constricts, weaving layered melodies as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover labeled an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a grand scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep source of buried treasure that requires time to fully explore but doesn't feels like a chore. While some big releases of the year seemed like a meager scraps, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the guests at it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flutter between conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about useless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most restlessly inventive visionary.
