Initially, this work could seem closer to a challenging academic challenge rather than the latest popular music project from an artist who just had a previous hit featured an international pop icon. Broken into four separate movements and voiced in thirteen tongues, it is a dizzying classical-tinged work that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and corporal change, frequently by way of the prism of various women saints. The end of a love affair—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot upwards here, supported by the lush sound of a full orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a long roll call of contributors. Its sheer ambition alone makes the work of other pop stars seem quite small.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
That this album succeeds in transcend overly academic posturing feels nothing short of miraculous, with sole credit going to the artist. Although this is not her first album to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its scale feel far higher here, with the balancing act more dramatic. What truly elevates her fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core sense of joy. Similar to the iconic Björk during her height, you find a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice that pulls you into its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing hearts in two, you nevertheless want to be alongside her for the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That playful spirit comes forth brightly on the stirring Italian song about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, all the music drops away, and there's a spontaneous giggle and a declaration before a comically exaggerated string crescendo thuds down like cartoonish impact. The song immediately shifts into the frenetic track driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic with Lux lies in you never quite know—nor want to know—what you will go next."
Nearly each track ends in a totally distinct place from where it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony before disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic style starts off moody and sinister, with prowling vocals, before sudden traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
A key achievement of Lux involves navigating the line of radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no coincidence that it has achieved the artist's first work to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in the English language swells around a chorus that seems to gather more and more infectious melodies while it spins skyward. That trick gets repeated on a different powerful track that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns the pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent excess. It is an abundant well of buried gems that requires patience to fully explore but never seem like hard work. While some major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the guests at it, some tipsy on sacred drink, flutter from conversations about ancient figures, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
