At first glance, this album may look closer to a challenging university challenge than the latest popular music record from an artist whose last hit featured an international pop star. Split into four separate sections and voiced in thirteen languages, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced album investigating feminine mystique, religious ascent, and corporal change, frequently through the prism of different women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, supported by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive roll call of contributors. Its sheer ambition alone makes the efforts of contemporary artists appear quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That Lux manages to avoid overly academic posturing is almost a miracle, with sole praise going to the artist. Although it's not her first album to fuse the past and the present, its ambitions feel much higher here, and the tightrope walk more precarious. What really elevates this fourth album, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be a core sense of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing hearts in two, you still want to stay right there through the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
That exuberant spirit shines brightly during a stunning piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four minutes. Then, everything drops away, and we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top string surge thuds in with comedic force. The track then shifts into the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic of Lux is that you rarely exactly know—nor want to know—what it is going next."
Nearly every track ends at a completely distinct place from how it started. A track examines the fleeting trappings of fame with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating into electronic chaos. Another, a cut echoing the artist's previous rhythmic style starts out moody and sinister, with menacing beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to smooth its jagged edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on Lux involves navigating the gap between bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is little surprise that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting release to crack the Top 5 of key markets: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. One track sung primarily in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to gather more and more nagging hooks while it spirals skyward. This feat is repeated on another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, weaving layered tunes like an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album represents pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. This is an abundant well of hidden gems that requires time to fully explore but never seem like hard work. Where some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flit from discussions about historical figures, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about hopeless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's most restlessly creative practitioner.
