At first glance, this album might appear more like a difficult academic challenge rather than the latest popular music record by an artist who just had a previous hit featured an international K-pop icon. Divided into 4 different movements and sung in thirteen languages, this is a dizzying classical-tinged album exploring feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical change, frequently through the prism of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, supported by the lush presence of a major orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a long roll call of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the efforts of other pop stars look rather modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in escape overly intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, and complete praise belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not her first project to blend historical sounds with the present, its ambitions feel much higher here, with the tightrope walk far more precarious. What truly raises this fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, is a core spirit of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing hearts apart, you still want to be alongside her for the ride.
A Prime Moment of Joy
This playful energy shines clearly during the stunning Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over several minutes. Then, all the music falls away, and there's a gleeful laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously exaggerated string surge thuds in like cartoonish impact. The song immediately segues into the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo role from none other than herself.
"The charm with Lux is that the listener never quite know—or even wish to know—what it is going next."
Almost every song concludes in a completely different place from where it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of celebrity with a featherlight symphony only to collapsing in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her earlier rhythmic style begins off moody and sinister, with prowling beats, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir enter to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Art and Accessibility
A key achievement on the album is navigating the gap of radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is no coincidence that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed primarily in English swells on a chorus that feels to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spins skyward. This feat gets repeated on a different powerful ballad that grows and contracts, weaving layered tunes as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry amid of looming AI-generated sameness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious transcendence, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its own built-in excess. This is a deep source of hidden gems that takes time to completely mine but doesn't seem like a chore. Where other major releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the characters at it, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flit from discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
