Initially, this work might appear closer to a challenging university challenge than a new pop record from a musician whose last hit was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Broken across 4 different parts and sung in 13 languages, this is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced work investigating female mystique, spiritual ascent, and physical change, frequently via the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward here, buoyed by the lush sound of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a long roll call of contributors. Its sheer daring alone makes the efforts of other artists look quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That Lux succeeds in transcend overly academic chin-stroking is almost miraculous, and full praise going to Rosalía. While it's not the first time album to fuse historical sounds with the present, its stakes are much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk more pronounced. What really elevates her fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, is an essential spirit of joy. Similar to the iconic artist at her height, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener into its tornado. When she is tearing hearts in two, you nevertheless want to be alongside her for the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
That exuberant spirit shines clearly during the stirring piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy for several moments. Then, everything drops away, and we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment prior to a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes in with comedic impact. The song then shifts to the wild track featuring galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from the artist herself.
"The magic of this album is that the listener rarely exactly know—or even wish to predict—what it is going to next."
Almost each song finishes in a totally distinct point from how it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous rhythmic work starts off dark and sinister, with prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Of Experiment & Pop
Another crucial balancing act of the album is navigating the gap of bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is little surprise that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a collection of truly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in the English language swells around a refrain that seems to gather more and more infectious hooks while it spirals skyward. That trick is echoed on another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, weaving layered melodies like an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals have a sharp edge, like a storybook character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
This album is pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its inherent excess. It is an abundant well of hidden gems that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. While other major releases of the year felt like a meager scraps, Lux is a lavish banquet where the characters at the table, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flit from conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's truly endlessly creative visionary.
