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At first glance, Lux might appear more like a challenging scholarly challenge rather than the latest pop record by a musician whose last single was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Split across 4 separate parts and sung in thirteen tongues, this is a breathtaking symphonic work that delves into feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and bodily transformation, often through the prism of various women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with raw openness elsewhere—soars skyward here, supported by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer among a long roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself makes the work of other artists appear rather modest.

Rising Above Academic Exercise

That this album succeeds in escape overly intellectual chin-stroking feels almost miraculous, and full praise belonging to the artist. While it's not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds with modern styles, the ambitions are much greater on Lux, and the balancing act far more dramatic. What really raises this fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. When she is breaking your heart apart, the listener still desire to be alongside her for the journey.

A Prime Example of Exuberance

This exuberant energy shines clearly on the stunning piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over several moments. Suddenly, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle and a declaration before a comically over-the-top string crescendo thuds down with comedic force. The track immediately segues into the wild track driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.

"The charm of this album is that you never exactly know—nor want to predict—what you is going next."

Nearly every song finishes in a completely different place from where it began. A track examines the transient trappings of fame with a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused work starts out dark and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, until sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic choir enter to smooth the song's rough corners.

The Balance Of Art & Pop

A key balancing act on Lux involves straddling the line of bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is little surprise that the album has achieved her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy pop songs. A song sung entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to gather more and more nagging hooks as it spins upward. This trick gets repeated on a different expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies as a complex tapestry.

• A dance-infused number charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
• In its words, it aligns with cultural honesty of other breakup songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
• Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."

An Opulent Banquet for the Soul

This album is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism for sublime elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its built-in excess. It is an abundant source of buried gems that requires patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some major pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, this record is a sumptuous feast where the guests around it, perhaps intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter from conversations about ancient saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.