Initially, this work could seem more like a challenging academic examination rather than the latest pop record from an artist who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Broken into 4 distinct movements and performed in thirteen languages, this is a breathtaking symphonic opus that delves into female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, frequently through the prism of different women saints. The end of a relationship—a topic treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched heavenward on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among an extensive roll call of contributors. The pure ambition alone renders the work of other artists look quite laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That Lux succeeds in avoid overly academic posturing feels almost miraculous, with full praise belonging to the artist. While it's not her first album to alchemize historical sounds and the present, its stakes are far greater here, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that truly raises her fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential spirit of joy. Similar to the iconic artist during her peak, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls you into its tornado. Even when she's breaking your heart apart, the listener nevertheless want to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
This playful energy comes forth brightly on the stunning Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over several moments. Then, everything drops silent, and there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge crashes in like comedic force. The song immediately segues into the frenetic single driven by racing strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album is that the listener rarely exactly know—nor wish to know—what you is going to next."
Nearly every song finishes at a completely distinct point than where it began. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing her earlier rhythmic style starts off moody and sinister, with menacing beats, until sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften its jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Art & Pop
A key achievement of the album involves navigating the line of bold experimentation and broad appeal. This is no surprise that it has achieved her first work to break into the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in the English language swells around a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging melodies while it spirals upward. This feat gets repeated on a different expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp smile, like a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album represents popular music on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for high artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its built-in excess. It is an abundant well of hidden gems that takes time to completely mine but never feels like hard work. Where some major pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux is a lavish feast at which the characters around it, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flit from conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary musical from pop's truly restlessly inventive visionary.
