Initially, Lux may look more like an arduous scholarly quiz rather than a new popular music record from an artist who just had a previous single was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Broken into 4 separate sections and sung in 13 languages, we have a head-spinning symphonic album that delves into female mystery, religious ascent, and physical transformation, often via the prism of various saintly figures. The end of a romance—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward here, carried by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition alone makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars seem quite small.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend dry academic chin-stroking feels nearly miraculous, and complete credit belonging to the artist. While it's not her first project to blend historical sounds and modern styles, its ambitions feel far higher on Lux, with the balancing act more precarious. The element that truly elevates this fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, is an essential sense of playfulness. Similar to the iconic artist during her peak, you find a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener into its tornado. When she is tearing your heart in two, you still desire to stay right there for the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That playful energy shines clearly during the stirring piano-led song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over several minutes. Then, everything falls away, and we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated orchestral surge thuds in with comedic force. The track then shifts into the wild single featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The charm with this album is that you rarely exactly understand—or even want to predict—where it will go to next."
Nearly each track ends in a completely different place from where it started. One moment explores the transient trappings of celebrity over a featherlight symphony only to collapsing into electronic chaos. Another, a song that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic style begins off moody and sinister, featuring menacing beats, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus enter to soften its jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Art and Pop
A key balancing act of the album involves navigating the line of bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is no surprise that it has become her first release to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track sung entirely in the English language swells around a chorus that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spins upward. This feat is echoed by another expansive ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song charms via its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux is pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism for sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own inherent excess. This is an abundant well of hidden treasure that takes time to completely explore but never seem like a chore. While some major pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters at the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flutter from conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about useless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most restlessly creative visionary.
