On the surface, Lux could seem more like an arduous academic quiz than a new popular music project from an artist whose previous hit featured an international K-pop star. Divided across four separate movements and voiced in thirteen tongues, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged opus exploring female mystery, religious ascent, and corporal change, often via the lens of different female saints. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward here, carried by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the efforts of other pop stars appear rather modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to avoid overly intellectual chin-stroking is almost miraculous, and sole praise belonging to the artist. While this is not the first time album to fuse the past and the present, the stakes are much greater here, and the balancing act more precarious. The element that really raises this fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be a core spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist at her peak, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she's breaking hearts in two, the listener nevertheless desire to be alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
That playful spirit shines brightly during a stunning Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, and we hear a gleeful laugh and a comment prior to a comically exaggerated string surge crashes in like comedic force. The track then shifts into the frenetic track featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in you rarely exactly understand—nor wish to know—what it is going to next."
Nearly every track concludes at a completely distinct place from how it started. A track examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration only to collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic work begins out moody and brooding, with menacing beats, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Between Art & Pop
Another crucial balancing act of Lux involves navigating the gap of bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is no surprise that it has achieved her first work to crack the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a suite of truly catchy pop songs. A song sung primarily in English builds around a chorus that seems to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spirals upward. This trick gets echoed by another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms via its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing have a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album is popular music on a grand level, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that takes time to completely mine but never feels like hard work. Where some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a sumptuous feast where the guests around the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flit from conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about useless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's most restlessly creative practitioner.
