On the surface, this album could seem more like an arduous university challenge rather than the latest popular music project by an artist whose last single was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Split across 4 separate movements and sung in 13 languages, this is a breathtaking symphonic opus investigating feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, often via the prism of different female saints. The end of a relationship—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a major orchestra and work from an award-winning composer among a vast roll call of contributors. The pure ambition alone makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars look quite small.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to avoid overly intellectual posturing feels almost a miracle, and sole credit going to the artist. Although this is not her first album to blend historical sounds and the present, its scale are far greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk more pronounced. The element that truly raises this fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be a core sense of fun. Similar to the legendary artist at her height, you find a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, you still desire to be alongside her through the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That exuberant energy comes forth brightly on a stirring piano-led ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over several moments. Suddenly, everything falls silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds in like comedic force. The song immediately shifts to the wild track featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from the artist herself.
"The magic of this album lies in the listener never quite know—or even wish to know—what it will go to next."
Nearly every song ends in a completely distinct place from where it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of fame with a delicate symphony before collapsing into electronic chaos. Another, a song echoing her earlier rhythmic style starts off moody and sinister, with menacing vocals, until sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its rough edges.
The Balance Of Art & Pop
A key achievement on Lux involves navigating the line between radical innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has achieved her highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. One track performed entirely in the English language builds on a refrain that feels to gather more and more nagging hooks as it spins skyward. That feat gets echoed by a different powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining layered tunes as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting an ex- partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the singing carry a painted-on smile, like a storybook character concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album is pop on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for capital-A Art amid of impending artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, creating a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of hidden gems that takes time to fully explore but doesn't seem like hard work. Where other major releases of the year felt like a meager meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet where the guests around it, some tipsy on holy drink, flutter between conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
