On the surface, Lux might appear more like a difficult academic quiz rather than a new pop project from an artist whose last single featured a global K-pop star. Divided across four different parts and performed in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work investigating feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, frequently through the perspective of different women saints. The end of a love affair—a topic treated with raw honesty elsewhere—soars heavenward here, carried by the constant sound of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning composer within an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer daring alone renders the work of contemporary pop stars look quite small.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend overly academic chin-stroking feels almost a miracle, and sole praise belonging to Rosalía. While it's not her first project to fuse historical sounds and modern styles, its ambitions are far greater here, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What really raises this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its tornado. When she is tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to be alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
This playful spirit comes forth brightly on a stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several moments. Suddenly, all the music falls away, and there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge thuds in with comedic impact. The song then segues to the frenetic track driven by galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic of Lux lies in you never quite know—nor want to know—what it will go next."
Almost every song finishes at a totally different point than where it started. One moment explores the fleeting nature of fame over a delicate symphony only to disintegrating into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous trap-infused work starts off moody and sinister, featuring menacing beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften its jagged edges.
The Bridge Between Art and Accessibility
A key achievement on the album is navigating the line of bold innovation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has become the artist's highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. A song performed primarily in the English language builds on a chorus that feels to collect increasingly nagging melodies as it spirals upward. That trick gets echoed by another powerful track that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture impact of other heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a sharp edge, akin to a storybook character hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux is pop on a grand level, a hungry grasp for high Art amid of impending artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own built-in excess. This is a deep well of buried treasure that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't seem like a chore. While some major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux offers a lavish feast where the guests at it, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
