At first glance, this album could seem closer to a difficult university examination than a new popular music project from a musician whose previous single featured a global K-pop icon. Divided into four distinct parts and sung in thirteen languages, this is a breathtaking symphonic album investigating feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, often by way of the perspective of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a theme handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars skyward on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a long roll call of contributors. Its sheer audacity by itself renders the work of contemporary pop stars seem quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in escape overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, with sole praise belonging to the artist. While it's not the first time album to alchemize the past and the present, the ambitions feel far higher on Lux, with the balancing act far more dramatic. What truly raises her fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Much like the legendary artist at her peak, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. When she's breaking hearts in two, you nevertheless want to be alongside her for the journey.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly during the stunning Italian ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over several minutes. Then, everything falls silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down with cartoonish force. The song then segues into the wild single featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from none other than herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in the listener never exactly understand—or even wish to predict—where you will go to next."
Nearly each track finishes in a completely different point from how it started. One moment examines the transient nature of celebrity over a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic style starts out moody and brooding, with prowling vocals, before sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment & Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album involves straddling the line of bold experimentation and broad appeal. It is little surprise that it has become her first work to break into the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language builds around a refrain that seems to gather more and more infectious melodies while it spirals upward. This trick is repeated on another expansive track that expands and constricts, weaving layered tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song seduces via its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux represents popular music on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for high artistry in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its own inherent excess. It is a deep source of hidden gems that requires patience to fully explore but never seem like hard work. While some big releases of the year felt like a meager scraps, this record offers a lavish feast where the characters around the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit from conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about hopeless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
