On the surface, this work could seem closer to a difficult academic challenge than a new popular music record from an artist who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Broken across 4 separate sections and performed in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning symphonic album exploring female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and physical change, often through the lens of different women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, supported by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter among a vast list of contributors. The pure ambition alone makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars look quite laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in avoid overly academic posturing is almost miraculous, and full credit belonging to the artist. Although this is not the first time project to alchemize the past with modern styles, its scale feel much higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk more pronounced. The element that truly elevates her fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, is a core spirit of fun. Much like the iconic artist at her height, there is a captivating sense to the vocalist's singing that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she is tearing your heart in two, the listener nevertheless want to be right there through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That playful energy comes forth clearly on the stunning piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for several moments. Suddenly, all the music falls away, and we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a comment prior to a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds down with cartoonish impact. The song then segues to the frenetic track driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic of this album lies in the listener rarely quite know—or even want to predict—what you is going to next."
Almost every song finishes in a completely different place from where it began. A track explores the fleeting nature of fame with a delicate orchestration only to collapsing in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused style begins off dark and sinister, with prowling beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to smooth its rough corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Pop
A key balancing act on Lux is navigating the line of bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is little surprise that it has achieved her highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of key markets: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in English builds on a refrain that feels to collect more and more infectious hooks as it spirals skyward. This feat gets echoed by a different expansive track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused number charms via its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, like a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux is pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for high Art amid of looming artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its own built-in excess. It is a deep well of buried treasure that takes time to fully explore but doesn't seem like hard work. While some major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters at the table, some intoxicated on holy wine, flutter between discussions about historical figures, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
