Initially, this work might appear more like an arduous scholarly quiz rather than the latest popular music album by a musician whose previous hit featured a global K-pop icon. Broken across four different sections and sung in thirteen tongues, we have a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work that delves into female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and physical transformation, often through the lens of various women saints. The end of a love affair—a theme treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars heavenward on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a major orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself renders the work of other artists seem rather modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
That this album succeeds in avoid dry academic posturing feels nearly a miracle, with complete praise going to the artist. While it's not her first project to alchemize the past with the present, its ambitions feel much greater on Lux, and the balancing act far more precarious. The element that truly elevates her fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and inherent drama, is a core spirit of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. When she is breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to stay right there for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That playful energy comes forth brightly during a stirring piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle and a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral surge crashes in like cartoonish force. The track immediately segues into the wild single featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from the artist herself.
"The magic of Lux is that the listener rarely quite understand—nor wish to predict—what it will go to next."
Nearly every track ends at a completely distinct point from where it started. One moment explores the transient trappings of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration before collapsing into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous rhythmic style begins out dark and sinister, with menacing beats, until sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth its jagged corners.
The Bridge Of Art & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act of the album involves navigating the line between radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is no coincidence that the album has become the artist's first work to break into the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a suite of utterly catchy hits. One track sung primarily in the English language swells on a refrain that seems to gather increasingly infectious hooks while it spins upward. That feat is repeated by another powerful track that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture impact of other breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing carry a sharp smile, like a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album is popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of hidden gems that requires time to completely explore but never seem like hard work. Where some major releases of the year felt like a meager scraps, Lux is a lavish banquet where the characters at it, perhaps intoxicated on sacred wine, flit from discussions about historical saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
