On the surface, Lux could seem more like a challenging university examination than the latest popular music album by an artist who just had a previous single featured a global K-pop icon. Divided into 4 different parts and sung in thirteen languages, this is a breathtaking classical-tinged opus exploring feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and corporal transformation, frequently via the prism of different women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward here, supported by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself makes the efforts of other artists appear rather laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
That Lux manages to avoid dry academic chin-stroking feels nearly a miracle, with full praise belonging to the artist. While this is not her first project to fuse the past with modern styles, its scale are much higher here, with the balancing act far more pronounced. The element that really elevates this fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of playfulness. Much like the legendary Björk during her height, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts in two, you nevertheless desire to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly during the stunning Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous giggle and a declaration before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes in like comedic force. The track then segues to the frenetic track driven by racing strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm with Lux is that you rarely quite understand—nor wish to know—where you is going next."
Almost every song concludes at a completely distinct place from where it began. One moment examines the transient nature of celebrity with a delicate symphony only to collapsing into digital cacophony. Another, a song echoing the artist's previous trap-infused style starts off dark and brooding, with prowling beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Of Art and Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on the album is straddling the line of radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is no coincidence that the album has become her highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of key markets: at its core a collection of utterly catchy hits. One track sung entirely in English builds around a chorus that seems to collect increasingly infectious hooks while it spins skyward. That trick gets repeated by a different expansive ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song charms with its jaunty, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing carry a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux represents popular music on a grand scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent excess. This is a deep source of buried treasure that requires patience to fully explore but doesn't feels like a chore. Where other big pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, this record offers a sumptuous feast at which the characters around it, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about useless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most restlessly creative visionary.
