At first glance, Lux could seem more like an arduous scholarly quiz rather than a new popular music record from a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Broken across 4 separate sections and performed in thirteen languages, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced opus investigating feminine mystique, religious ascent, and physical transformation, often via the perspective of different women saints. The end of a romance—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—soars skyward on this record, buoyed by the lush sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within an extensive roll call of contributors. Its sheer daring by itself renders the efforts of other pop stars seem rather laughable.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that this album manages to escape dry academic chin-stroking feels almost miraculous, and full credit going to the artist. Although it's not the first time album to fuse the past and the present, the scale feel much greater here, with the balancing act more pronounced. The element that truly raises her fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is a core sense of fun. Much like the legendary Björk at her height, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she is breaking hearts in two, the listener still desire to be right there through the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
That exuberant spirit shines clearly on the stirring Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music drops away, and there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated orchestral surge crashes in like cartoonish force. The song then segues into the frenetic track featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic with Lux is that the listener never exactly know—nor want to predict—what it will go to next."
Almost each track finishes in a totally different place from how it started. A track explores the fleeting trappings of fame with a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating into digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic work begins off dark and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, until sudden traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus enter to smooth its rough corners.
The Bridge Between Art and Accessibility
A key balancing act on the album is straddling the gap between radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has become the artist's first work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in the English language builds on a chorus that seems to collect more and more nagging hooks while it spirals upward. That trick is echoed on a different expansive ballad that grows and constricts, weaving multiple melodies like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song charms via its jaunty, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting an ex- lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a sharp edge, like a storybook character concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its built-in excess. This is an abundant well of buried gems that takes time to completely mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While some major releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet where the characters around it, some tipsy on holy wine, flutter from discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about hopeless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly endlessly creative visionary.
