Initially, this work might appear closer to a challenging scholarly quiz than the latest popular music project from a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Split into four distinct movements and sung in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning symphonic work investigating female mystique, religious ascent, and bodily transformation, frequently through the prism of various female saints. The end of a relationship—a topic treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, carried by the constant sound of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer daring alone makes the efforts of other artists look rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking feels almost miraculous, and full credit belonging to the artist. Although this is not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds and the present, its stakes feel far higher on Lux, and the balancing act far more dramatic. What truly elevates this fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist at her height, you find a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. Even when she is tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there for the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth clearly during a stunning Italian song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy for more than four minutes. Then, everything drops silent, and we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge thuds in with cartoonish force. The track then segues into the wild track driven by racing strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The charm with Lux lies in you never exactly understand—nor wish to predict—what you will go to next."
Nearly each track concludes at a completely different place from where it began. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity over a featherlight symphony only to collapsing in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing the artist's previous rhythmic style starts out dark and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth its jagged corners.
The Bridge Of Art and Pop
Another crucial achievement on the album involves navigating the line of bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that the album has become her first release to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in the English language swells on a chorus that feels to gather more and more nagging hooks while it spirals upward. That trick gets echoed by a different expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song charms with its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares with cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album represents pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry amid of impending artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. It is an abundant well of hidden treasure that takes time to fully mine but never seem like hard work. Where other big pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, this record is a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around it, some intoxicated on holy drink, flutter between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly creative visionary.
