Initially, Lux may look closer to an arduous scholarly quiz rather than the latest popular music album from an artist who just had a last hit featured an international pop icon. Broken into 4 different parts and sung in thirteen languages, this is a breathtaking symphonic album investigating feminine mystery, religious ascent, and physical change, frequently through the prism of various saintly figures. The end of a romance—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched upwards here, buoyed by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer within an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the work of contemporary pop stars appear quite modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album manages to avoid dry academic chin-stroking is nothing short of miraculous, with sole praise belonging to the artist. While this is not the first time album to blend the past and modern styles, the ambitions are far greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more precarious. What truly elevates her fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, dense compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the iconic artist at her peak, you find a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener into its tornado. Even when she's tearing hearts in two, the listener still desire to be alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly during the stirring piano-led song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops away, and there's a gleeful giggle followed by a comment before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down with cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues to the wild single driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The charm with Lux lies in the listener rarely quite understand—nor wish to know—what it will go to next."
Nearly each song ends at a totally different point than where it began. A track explores the transient nature of fame with a delicate symphony only to disintegrating in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous rhythmic style begins off dark and sinister, featuring prowling beats, until sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to soften the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Of Art & Pop
A key balancing act on Lux is navigating the gap between radical innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is no coincidence that it has become her first release to crack the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a suite of truly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in the English language builds around a refrain that feels to collect increasingly infectious melodies as it spirals skyward. That feat is echoed on another powerful ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining layered tunes as an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused song seduces via its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for high artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism for sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its own built-in excess. It is a deep source of buried gems that requires time to completely mine but never feels like hard work. Where some major releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record is a sumptuous banquet where the guests at it, some tipsy on holy drink, flit between conversations about ancient figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
