At first glance, Lux might appear closer to an arduous academic challenge rather than the latest pop project from a musician whose last single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided into 4 different parts and voiced in 13 languages, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged work investigating female mystique, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, often through the lens of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a topic treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot upwards here, buoyed by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a long list of contributors. Its sheer ambition alone renders the work of contemporary artists seem rather small.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That Lux manages to transcend overly academic posturing feels nothing short of miraculous, with complete praise belonging to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to alchemize the past with modern styles, the ambitions feel much greater here, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What really raises this fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be a core spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she is breaking your heart in two, the listener still desire to be alongside her for the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This playful spirit shines brightly on the stunning Italian song about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle and a declaration before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds in like cartoonish force. The song then shifts to the frenetic track featuring racing strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic with Lux is that the listener never quite know—nor wish to predict—where you is going to next."
Almost each song ends in a totally distinct point from how it started. A track examines the transient trappings of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her previous rhythmic style starts out moody and brooding, featuring prowling beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to soften its jagged corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
Another crucial achievement on the album involves navigating the line of bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is no coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a collection of utterly catchy hits. A song sung primarily in English swells around a chorus that seems to collect increasingly infectious hooks as it spirals upward. This trick gets echoed on another powerful track that expands and contracts, weaving layered tunes as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of other breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a sharp smile, like a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album represents popular music on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for high Art amid of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. This is a deep well of buried treasure that takes patience to completely explore but never feels like a chore. Where some big pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a lavish banquet where the guests at the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's most restlessly creative visionary.
