On the surface, this work could seem more like a difficult academic quiz rather than a new pop album from a musician who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Broken across 4 distinct sections and sung in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning classical-tinged work that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and bodily change, often via the lens of various women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is launched upwards here, supported by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among an extensive list of collaborators. The pure daring by itself renders the work of contemporary pop stars look rather small.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly intellectual chin-stroking is nothing short of a miracle, and sole praise going to the artist. While it's not the first time album to fuse the past with modern styles, the stakes are much greater on Lux, and the balancing act far more pronounced. The element that truly raises her fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core sense of joy. Much like the iconic artist during her height, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. When she's breaking your heart in two, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This playful spirit comes forth brightly on the stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything falls silent, and there's a spontaneous laugh and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds in with cartoonish force. The song immediately shifts to the wild track driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from the artist herself.
"The charm of Lux is that the listener rarely quite know—or even want to predict—what you will go to next."
Almost every song concludes at a completely different point from where it began. A track examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity over a delicate symphony before disintegrating in electronic chaos. Another, a cut echoing her previous rhythmic style begins off moody and sinister, with menacing beats, until sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to smooth its jagged edges.
The Balance Between Experiment and Accessibility
A key achievement of the album involves navigating the gap between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is little coincidence that the album has become her highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of key markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in English builds on a chorus that seems to collect increasingly nagging melodies as it spins upward. That trick is echoed by a different powerful track that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural impact of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art amid of impending artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep source of buried gems that requires time to fully explore but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some big pop albums of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish banquet where the guests at the table, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flit from discussions about ancient saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day musical from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.
