At first glance, this album may look more like an arduous academic examination rather than a new pop record from a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Broken across four separate sections and voiced in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning classical-tinged work that delves into female mystique, spiritual ascent, and bodily transformation, frequently via the prism of various female saints. The end of a love affair—a topic treated with grounded openness elsewhere—soars skyward here, carried by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter among a long list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the efforts of contemporary artists appear rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That Lux succeeds in escape overly intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, with sole praise going to the artist. Although it's not the first time project to fuse the past and the present, its scale feel far higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk more dramatic. What really raises this fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless want to be alongside her through the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
That exuberant energy comes forth brightly during a stunning piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music drops away, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds in like comedic force. The song then shifts into the frenetic single driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in the listener rarely quite understand—or even want to predict—where it is going to next."
Nearly every song concludes in a totally distinct point than how it began. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration before collapsing into digital chaos. Another, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic style begins off moody and brooding, with menacing vocals, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
A key balancing act of Lux involves straddling the line between bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is little coincidence that the album has become her first release to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in the English language swells on a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious melodies as it spirals skyward. That feat gets repeated on another expansive track that grows and contracts, weaving multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on smile, like a storybook character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux represents pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious reach for high Art amid of looming artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of hidden gems that takes patience to fully explore but never feels like hard work. Where some major releases of the year seemed like a meager scraps, Lux is a sumptuous feast at which the guests around it, perhaps intoxicated on sacred wine, flit between discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative visionary.
