On the surface, this work may look more like an arduous academic quiz than the latest pop album from a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided into four separate sections and performed in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying classical-tinged opus investigating female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and corporal transformation, frequently via the lens of various saintly figures. The end of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is launched skyward on this record, carried by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a long roll call of collaborators. The pure audacity alone makes the work of other artists appear rather small.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That this album manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking is almost a miracle, and sole praise belonging to the artist. While it's not her first album to blend historical sounds and modern styles, the ambitions are far greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that truly raises this fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, is a core sense of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she is breaking hearts apart, you nevertheless desire to be alongside her for the journey.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This playful spirit comes forth clearly during the stirring piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for several moments. Suddenly, everything falls away, and there's a spontaneous laugh and a comment before a comically over-the-top string crescendo crashes down with comedic force. The track then segues to the frenetic track driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album lies in the listener rarely exactly understand—or even wish to predict—what it will go to next."
Almost each track finishes at a completely distinct point from where it started. One moment explores the fleeting nature of fame with a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating in electronic chaos. Another, a song echoing the artist's previous trap-infused style starts out moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to soften its rough corners.
The Bridge Of Art and Pop
A key achievement of the album is straddling the gap of bold innovation and mainstream appeal. It is no coincidence that it has become her highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in the English language builds on a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious melodies as it spirals skyward. This trick gets repeated on a different expansive ballad that expands and contracts, weaving layered melodies like an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating an ex- partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album represents pop on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep well of buried gems that takes time to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other major releases of the year felt like a meager scraps, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the characters at it, some tipsy on holy drink, flit from conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless men. It is a modern-day musical from music's most endlessly creative practitioner.
