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At first glance, this album might appear closer to a challenging scholarly examination rather than a new pop record by a musician whose last hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Divided into four distinct movements and sung in 13 languages, it is a head-spinning symphonic album investigating feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, often by way of the lens of different women saints. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—soars upwards on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a vast list of contributors. The pure audacity alone renders the efforts of other artists seem rather modest.

Rising Above Scholarly Pretense

That Lux succeeds in transcend overly intellectual posturing is nothing short of a miracle, and full praise going to the artist. Although it's not her first project to fuse historical sounds with the present, its ambitions are much higher on Lux, with the balancing act more dramatic. What truly raises this fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist at her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to be alongside her through the ride.

A Prime Moment of Exuberance

This playful energy comes forth clearly during a stunning piano-led ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls away, and we hear a spontaneous laugh and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down with cartoonish impact. The song immediately shifts into the wild track featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than herself.

"The charm with this album is that you rarely exactly understand—nor want to know—what it will go to next."

Nearly each song finishes at a completely different place than where it began. A track examines the transient nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony before collapsing in digital chaos. Another, a song echoing her earlier rhythmic work begins out moody and sinister, with menacing beats, before sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften its rough edges.

The Balance Between Art & Accessibility

A key balancing act of the album involves straddling the gap between bold experimentation and broad appeal. This is little surprise that the album has become the artist's first work to crack the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable hits. A song sung entirely in English swells on a chorus that seems to gather increasingly nagging hooks as it spins upward. This trick is echoed by a different expansive track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as an intricate tapestry.

• A waltz-like number seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
• In its words, it shares with cultural impact of other breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
• Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."

An Opulent Feast for the Ears

Lux is popular music on a grand level, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry amid of impending AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism for glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its built-in excess. This is an abundant well of buried gems that requires patience to completely explore but never seem like a chore. While some major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record is a sumptuous feast at which the guests at the table, some tipsy on sacred wine, flutter from conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most restlessly creative practitioner.