On the surface, Lux could seem closer to a challenging academic examination than the latest pop record from an artist whose last hit was a collaboration with a global pop star. Broken into four separate movements and performed in thirteen tongues, it is a dizzying orchestral-influenced work exploring feminine mystery, religious ascent, and physical transformation, frequently by way of the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars skyward on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning composer within an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure audacity alone renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars appear quite small.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that this album manages to escape overly intellectual posturing is nearly a miracle, with sole credit going to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds with modern styles, its ambitions feel much higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk more pronounced. The element that truly raises this fourth album, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is a core spirit of playfulness. Much like the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. When she is breaking your heart apart, you nevertheless want to be right there for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This playful energy comes forth clearly on the stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four moments. Then, all the music drops away, and there's a gleeful giggle and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo crashes in like cartoonish impact. The track immediately shifts to the wild track featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic of this album is that you never quite know—nor want to know—where it is going to next."
Nearly each track finishes at a totally distinct place than how it began. A track explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused work starts off moody and sinister, featuring menacing beats, until fluttering traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Of Art & Pop
A key achievement on the album is straddling the gap between radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that it has achieved the artist's first work to crack the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a suite of utterly catchy hits. One track sung entirely in English swells around a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks as it spins skyward. That trick is repeated on a different expansive track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces via its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural impact of other breakup anthems, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism for sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires time to fully explore but doesn't feels like a chore. While other major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux is a lavish banquet at which the guests around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flit between discussions about ancient saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly creative visionary.
