Initially, Lux might appear closer to a challenging university challenge than a new popular music record by a musician whose previous single featured an international pop star. Divided across 4 different parts and performed in thirteen languages, it is a head-spinning symphonic album that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and bodily change, frequently via the perspective of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot upwards on this record, supported by the lush sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer ambition alone makes the work of other artists seem quite small.
Transcending Academic Exercise
That this album manages to escape overly intellectual posturing feels almost a miracle, and full credit going to the artist. While this is not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds and the present, the stakes are far greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What really raises her fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, rich compositions, and engrained drama, is an essential spirit of joy. Similar to the iconic artist at her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener into its tornado. When she is tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This playful spirit comes forth brightly during a stirring Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over several minutes. Then, everything falls away, and we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment before a comically over-the-top string surge crashes down like comedic impact. The song then shifts to the frenetic track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from the artist herself.
"The magic with Lux lies in you rarely exactly understand—or even want to know—what it is going next."
Nearly every track finishes at a totally different place than how it began. A track explores the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating into electronic chaos. Another, a cut echoing her previous rhythmic work starts off moody and sinister, featuring prowling beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften its rough edges.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
Another crucial balancing act of the album involves navigating the line between bold experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no coincidence that it has become her first work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a collection of truly catchy hits. One track sung entirely in English builds on a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging hooks as it spins upward. That trick gets repeated by another powerful track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered melodies like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number charms via its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural honesty of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on smile, like a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of buried gems that requires time to fully mine but doesn't seem like a chore. Where some major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record offers a sumptuous feast where the guests around the table, some tipsy on holy drink, flit from conversations about historical figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
