On the surface, this album could seem more like a challenging scholarly challenge than a new popular music album from a musician who just had a previous single was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Broken into four distinct parts and voiced in thirteen tongues, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced work that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and bodily transformation, frequently by way of the perspective of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic treated with grounded openness elsewhere—soars heavenward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within a long list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the efforts of other pop stars appear quite modest.
Transcending Academic Exercise
That Lux manages to avoid dry academic chin-stroking is nearly a miracle, with full credit going to the artist. Although it's not her first project to alchemize historical sounds and modern styles, the ambitions feel much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that really raises her fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, is a core sense of joy. Much like the iconic artist during her height, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. Even when she is breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to be right there through the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit shines brightly during the stirring piano-led song about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over several minutes. Then, all the music drops away, and there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment before a comically exaggerated string surge crashes in with cartoonish force. The song immediately shifts into the wild track driven by galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm of this album lies in you rarely exactly know—nor want to know—what you is going to next."
Almost each song ends in a completely distinct place from how it began. One moment explores the fleeting nature of fame with a delicate symphony before disintegrating into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic style starts off moody and brooding, featuring prowling beats, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its rough edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial achievement on the album involves straddling the gap of bold innovation and broad appeal. It is little surprise that the album has achieved her first release to break into the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in English swells around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly nagging hooks while it spins upward. This feat is repeated on a different powerful track that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural impact of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry amid of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its own inherent excess. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that requires patience to fully explore but never feels like a chore. While some major releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the guests around the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flit from conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about hopeless men. It is a contemporary musical from pop's most restlessly creative practitioner.
