At first glance, this work might appear closer to a difficult scholarly examination rather than the latest popular music project by a musician whose previous hit featured a global K-pop icon. Broken across 4 distinct parts and sung in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work exploring female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently via the lens of different saintly figures. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—soars upwards here, carried by the lush sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity by itself renders the work of other pop stars seem rather laughable.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That Lux manages to transcend overly academic chin-stroking feels nearly miraculous, with complete credit going to the artist. While this is not her first album to fuse historical sounds and modern styles, the stakes are much higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk more pronounced. What really elevates this fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of playfulness. Similar to the iconic Björk during her peak, there is a captivating sense to the vocalist's singing that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. When she is breaking your heart apart, you still want to stay right there through the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit shines brightly during the stunning piano-led song about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, and we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration prior to a comically exaggerated string surge thuds down like comedic force. The track immediately shifts into the frenetic track driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo role from the artist herself.
"The charm with Lux lies in the listener rarely exactly understand—or even want to predict—where you will go to next."
Nearly every track concludes in a completely distinct place than where it started. One moment examines the fleeting trappings of fame with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her previous rhythmic work begins out moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Between Art & Pop
A key balancing act of the album involves straddling the gap of bold innovation and mainstream appeal. It is no surprise that it has achieved the artist's first release to break into the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable hits. A song performed entirely in English swells on a refrain that seems to gather more and more nagging hooks as it spirals upward. That feat is repeated by a different powerful track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture honesty of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of looming artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its built-in excess. It is an abundant well of hidden gems that takes time to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While other major releases of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux is a lavish banquet at which the guests at the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flit from conversations about historical figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about useless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
