Initially, this album may look more like an arduous scholarly quiz rather than the latest pop project by a musician whose last hit was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Broken into 4 different sections and voiced in thirteen languages, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced work investigating female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and physical transformation, often by way of the lens of different female saints. The end of a romance—a theme handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, supported by the lush sound of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter among a long roll call of collaborators. The pure daring alone renders the efforts of other artists appear quite laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in avoid overly academic posturing is nearly miraculous, and complete praise going to the artist. Although it's not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds with the present, the ambitions feel far higher here, with the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential spirit of joy. Much like the iconic Björk during her height, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing hearts apart, the listener still desire to be alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
That playful energy shines clearly on the stirring Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment before a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo crashes in with cartoonish force. The track immediately shifts to the frenetic single featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from the artist herself.
"The magic with this album is that you rarely exactly know—or even wish to predict—where it will go next."
Nearly every track finishes at a totally different point than where it began. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony before disintegrating in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her earlier trap-infused work begins out dark and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to smooth its jagged corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Accessibility
A key balancing act of Lux is navigating the gap of radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is no coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song performed primarily in the English language swells on a refrain that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spins skyward. That trick is repeated by a different expansive ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its playful, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares with cultural honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting a former partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Across the album, the vocals have a painted-on edge, like a storybook character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, creating a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep well of buried treasure that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't seem like a chore. Where some big pop albums of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish feast at which the guests at it, some tipsy on holy wine, flit between discussions about historical saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most restlessly creative visionary.
