On the surface, this work might appear closer to a challenging scholarly challenge rather than a new pop project from a musician whose last hit was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Broken into four different movements and voiced in thirteen tongues, it is a dizzying classical-tinged opus exploring female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and physical change, often by way of the perspective of different women saints. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, buoyed by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a vast roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring alone renders the work of contemporary pop stars seem quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album manages to transcend dry academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, and full praise going to the artist. While this is not the first time album to fuse the past with the present, its scale feel much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that truly raises this fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, you find a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. When she is breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to be alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Joy
That playful spirit comes forth clearly during a stirring Italian ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four moments. Suddenly, everything drops silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment prior to a comically exaggerated string surge thuds in with comedic force. The song then segues into the wild track featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The magic with Lux lies in the listener never exactly know—or even wish to predict—what it will go next."
Nearly each song concludes in a totally distinct place from how it began. One moment explores the fleeting nature of fame over a featherlight orchestration before collapsing in digital chaos. Another, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic work begins out dark and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir enter to soften its jagged edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on the album is straddling the gap between radical innovation and broad appeal. This is little coincidence that it has become her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable hits. One track sung entirely in the English language builds around a refrain that feels to collect more and more nagging melodies as it spins skyward. This feat is echoed on a different expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song seduces via its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating a former lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
This album represents pop on a grand scale, an ambitious reach for capital-A artistry in an era of looming artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep source of buried treasure that takes patience to completely mine but never feels like hard work. While other big releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record offers a sumptuous feast where the guests at it, some intoxicated on holy drink, flit from conversations about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and common gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's most endlessly creative practitioner.
