🔗 Share this article

Initially, this album might appear closer to an arduous academic examination than a new popular music record from an artist whose previous hit was a collaboration with a global pop star. Split across four distinct sections and sung in thirteen tongues, it is a dizzying orchestral-influenced work investigating feminine mystique, religious ascent, and physical change, often by way of the perspective of various women saints. The end of a romance—a topic treated with grounded openness elsewhere—soars upwards on this record, carried by the constant sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition alone renders the work of contemporary artists look quite modest.

Transcending Scholarly Pretense

That this album manages to escape overly intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, and full praise going to the artist. While this is not the first time project to fuse historical sounds and the present, its ambitions feel much higher here, with the balancing act far more pronounced. The element that truly elevates this fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of joy. Much like the legendary artist during her peak, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. When she's tearing hearts in two, you still desire to stay alongside her through the journey.

A Signature Example of Joy

That exuberant energy comes forth clearly on a stirring piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge thuds in with comedic impact. The song immediately segues into the frenetic single driven by galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.

"The charm with Lux lies in you never exactly understand—or even wish to predict—where it is going next."

Almost each track finishes in a totally distinct point from how it began. A track explores the transient nature of fame over a delicate symphony only to disintegrating in digital cacophony. Another, a song that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work begins out moody and brooding, featuring prowling beats, before sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften its rough corners.

The Balance Between Art and Pop

A key achievement of Lux involves straddling the gap of radical innovation and mainstream appeal. This is no surprise that it has become her first release to crack the Top 5 of key markets: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track sung primarily in English builds around a chorus that feels to collect increasingly nagging melodies as it spins upward. This trick is repeated on a different powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex tapestry.

• A dance-infused song charms via its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
• In its words, it shares the pop culture impact of other breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
• Throughout the album, the vocals have a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."

An Opulent Banquet for the Ears

This album represents popular music on a grand level, an ambitious reach for capital-A artistry amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. It is a deep well of buried treasure that requires time to completely mine but doesn't seem like hard work. Where some major releases of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record offers a lavish banquet where the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter from conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.