At first glance, this work might appear more like an arduous university challenge than a new popular music album from an artist who just had a last hit featured a global pop star. Split into four different movements and performed in thirteen tongues, this is a breathtaking symphonic work investigating female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, often through the lens of different female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot heavenward on this record, carried by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer within a vast roll call of collaborators. The pure daring alone renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars look quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend dry academic posturing feels nearly miraculous, and complete credit going to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its ambitions are much higher here, and the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What truly raises her fourth release, outside of its complex tunes, rich compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the iconic Björk at her peak, you find a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls the listener into its tornado. Even when she is breaking your heart apart, you still desire to stay right there for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Joy
That exuberant spirit shines clearly on a stunning Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for several moments. Then, all the music falls away, and we hear a spontaneous laugh and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top string surge crashes in with cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues to the frenetic single featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm of Lux is that the listener never exactly know—nor wish to predict—what it is going next."
Nearly every track concludes in a totally distinct point than where it began. One moment explores the transient nature of fame with a delicate symphony only to collapsing in electronic chaos. Another, a song that recalls her previous trap-infused work begins off dark and brooding, with prowling beats, before sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Pop
A key balancing act of Lux involves navigating the gap between bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is no surprise that it has become her highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in English swells around a chorus that feels to collect more and more infectious hooks while it spirals upward. That trick gets echoed on another powerful ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp smile, akin to a storybook character concealing a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry amid of looming artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep source of buried gems that takes time to completely explore but never feels like a chore. Where other big releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, this record is a sumptuous feast where the guests around it, some tipsy on holy drink, flutter from conversations about historical figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative visionary.
