On the surface, this album might appear more like an arduous scholarly challenge rather than the latest popular music record by an artist who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Divided across four different sections and performed in 13 tongues, we have a head-spinning symphonic work investigating female mystique, religious ascent, and physical transformation, often through the prism of different female saints. The end of a relationship—a theme handled with raw openness elsewhere—soars upwards here, carried by the constant sound of a full orchestra and input from an award-winning composer within a vast roll call of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the work of other artists look quite laughable.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in avoid overly academic chin-stroking is almost a miracle, and complete credit going to the artist. While this is not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds with modern styles, its ambitions are far greater on Lux, and the balancing act more precarious. What really raises this fourth release, outside of its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is a core spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic artist at her height, you find a wondrous sense to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. When she is tearing hearts in two, you still want to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This playful spirit comes forth clearly during a stunning Italian ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, everything drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a comment prior to a hilariously exaggerated string crescendo thuds in like cartoonish impact. The song then shifts into the wild single featuring racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The magic with this album is that the listener rarely quite understand—or even wish to know—what it will go to next."
Almost every song ends in a completely distinct place from how it began. One moment examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight symphony before disintegrating in digital cacophony. Another, a song echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused work begins out dark and sinister, featuring prowling beats, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Of Art and Accessibility
A key balancing act of Lux is navigating the line between radical innovation and mainstream appeal. This is little surprise that the album has become her highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a suite of truly catchy hits. A song sung primarily in the English language swells on a chorus that seems to collect increasingly infectious melodies while it spins skyward. This feat is repeated on another expansive track that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple tunes as an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux represents pop on a grand level, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art amid of impending artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its built-in excess. It is an abundant well of hidden gems that takes patience to completely explore but doesn't seem like a chore. While some big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record offers a lavish feast where the characters at the table, some tipsy on holy wine, flutter between discussions about ancient saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.