At first glance, this work could seem more like a challenging academic challenge rather than a new popular music record by an artist who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Split across 4 different parts and performed in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning symphonic album exploring feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and bodily change, frequently via the lens of different female saints. The end of a romance—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—soars skyward here, carried by the constant sound of a full orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself renders the work of contemporary artists seem rather modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in escape dry intellectual posturing is nearly miraculous, with complete praise belonging to Rosalía. While this is not the first time album to fuse the past with the present, its scale feel much greater here, with the balancing act more pronounced. The element that really elevates this fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there for the ride.
A Prime Moment of Joy
This playful spirit shines brightly during a stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four moments. Then, all the music drops silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh and a comment prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds in with comedic force. The track immediately segues to the wild track driven by galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with Lux is that the listener never quite understand—or even want to know—where you will go to next."
Nearly every track concludes in a totally different point than how it started. One moment examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her previous rhythmic style starts off dark and brooding, featuring prowling vocals, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Pop
A key achievement on Lux is navigating the line of bold innovation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that it has become the artist's first work to break into the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song performed entirely in English builds around a chorus that feels to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spirals upward. That trick gets echoed by a different expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album represents pop on a grand level, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism for sublime elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of buried treasure that requires time to completely mine but doesn't seem like a chore. Where other major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet where the guests around it, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flutter from discussions about ancient saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
