Initially, this work may look closer to a challenging university challenge rather than a new popular music record from a musician whose previous hit featured an international K-pop icon. Split into 4 separate movements and voiced in thirteen tongues, it is a dizzying classical-tinged opus exploring female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently by way of the perspective of various women saints. The end of a romance—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—soars heavenward on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning composer within an extensive list of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself makes the work of contemporary artists appear quite small.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that this album manages to escape overly academic posturing feels almost a miracle, and sole credit going to the artist. Although this is not her first album to blend historical sounds and the present, the stakes feel far higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What really elevates her fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, is an essential spirit of fun. Much like the legendary artist during her peak, you find a captivating quality to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you into its tornado. When she's tearing your heart apart, you nevertheless desire to stay right there through the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
That exuberant energy shines clearly during the stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over several moments. Then, everything falls silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh and a declaration prior to a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge thuds down with comedic impact. The song then segues to the frenetic single driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The magic with Lux lies in the listener rarely quite know—nor wish to know—where it is going next."
Nearly each song concludes at a completely different place than how it started. One moment examines the transient trappings of fame with a featherlight symphony before disintegrating in digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls her previous trap-infused work begins out dark and brooding, featuring menacing beats, before fluttering traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of Lux is straddling the gap of bold experimentation and broad appeal. It is little surprise that the album has become her highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in the English language swells on a refrain that feels to gather more and more nagging melodies as it spins skyward. This trick is repeated on a different expansive track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered tunes like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms via its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the vocals have a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux is pop on a grand level, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep source of hidden treasure that requires patience to fully mine but doesn't seem like hard work. Where some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record is a lavish feast at which the guests at the table, some intoxicated on holy drink, flit between conversations about historical figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about useless men. It is a contemporary musical from pop's most endlessly inventive visionary.
