On the surface, this work could seem more like an arduous university quiz than a new pop project from an artist who just had a last single featured a global K-pop star. Divided into four different movements and voiced in 13 tongues, this is a breathtaking classical-tinged work investigating feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, often by way of the prism of various women saints. The end of a love affair—a theme treated with raw openness elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, carried by the constant sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a vast roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself makes the work of contemporary artists appear rather small.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album manages to escape dry intellectual chin-stroking feels almost miraculous, with complete praise belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not her first project to alchemize the past with modern styles, its stakes are much greater here, and the balancing act more pronounced. The element that truly elevates her fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be a core spirit of playfulness. Much like the iconic Björk at her peak, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts in two, you nevertheless want to be right there through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly during a stunning piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over several moments. Suddenly, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge crashes down with comedic impact. The song then shifts into the wild track featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The magic with Lux is that the listener never quite understand—nor wish to know—what you is going next."
Nearly every track finishes at a completely distinct place than where it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight symphony only to collapsing in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her earlier rhythmic work starts out dark and brooding, with prowling beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Pop
A key balancing act on the album is straddling the gap between radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is no surprise that the album has achieved the artist's first work to crack the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a suite of truly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in English swells on a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks as it spirals skyward. This trick gets repeated by a different powerful ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its playful, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns the cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for capital-A Art amid of impending AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its built-in excess. It is a deep source of buried gems that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't seem like hard work. While some big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record offers a sumptuous feast at which the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flit from discussions about ancient saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
