At first glance, this work might appear more like an arduous university quiz rather than a new popular music record from an artist whose last hit featured an international K-pop icon. Split into four distinct parts and performed in thirteen tongues, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged album investigating female mystique, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, frequently through the lens of various women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme handled with grounded openness elsewhere—soars heavenward here, carried by the constant presence of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter within an extensive roll call of contributors. Its sheer audacity by itself renders the work of other artists seem quite modest.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to avoid overly intellectual posturing is nothing short of miraculous, with complete praise going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to fuse the past and modern styles, the stakes feel far greater here, and the tightrope walk more pronounced. The element that really raises this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, is a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the iconic Björk during her peak, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing hearts apart, the listener still desire to be right there through the journey.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly during a stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several moments. Then, all the music falls away, and there's a gleeful laugh followed by a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge crashes in like comedic impact. The song then shifts to the wild track driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The charm with this album lies in the listener never quite know—nor wish to know—where you will go next."
Almost every track ends in a completely distinct point from where it started. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of fame over a delicate orchestration before collapsing into digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work begins off moody and brooding, with prowling vocals, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly choir enter to soften its jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Art and Accessibility
A key achievement on Lux is straddling the gap between radical experimentation and broad appeal. It is little coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting release to break into the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable hits. A song sung entirely in the English language builds around a refrain that seems to gather increasingly infectious melodies while it spins upward. This trick gets repeated by another expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, like a storybook character concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its own inherent excess. This is an abundant well of hidden treasure that takes patience to completely mine but doesn't feels like hard work. While other big pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux is a lavish feast at which the characters at it, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flit from discussions about ancient figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
