Initially, this album could seem closer to an arduous academic examination than the latest pop album by a musician whose last single featured a global pop star. Split into four separate sections and performed in thirteen tongues, we have a breathtaking orchestral-influenced opus investigating female mystery, religious transcendence, and corporal change, frequently through the perspective of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward here, buoyed by the lush presence of a major orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a vast list of collaborators. The pure audacity alone renders the work of contemporary artists seem quite laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking is nothing short of miraculous, and complete credit belonging to the artist. Although it's not the first time project to blend historical sounds with the present, the scale are much higher here, with the balancing act more precarious. The element that truly elevates this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls you into its tornado. When she's tearing hearts in two, the listener still desire to stay alongside her through the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly during a stunning piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for several minutes. Suddenly, everything drops away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle and a declaration before a comically over-the-top string crescendo thuds down like comedic force. The song then segues into the wild track featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with Lux is that the listener never exactly understand—nor want to predict—what it will go next."
Almost every song finishes in a completely distinct place than how it started. One moment explores the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony before disintegrating into digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing her earlier trap-infused work starts off dark and brooding, featuring menacing beats, before sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Of Art and Accessibility
A key achievement of the album involves straddling the line between radical innovation and mainstream appeal. This is little coincidence that it has achieved her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable hits. A song performed entirely in the English language swells around a chorus that feels to collect more and more nagging hooks while it spins skyward. This feat gets repeated by a different expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms via its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- partner labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a storybook character hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its inherent excess. It is a deep source of buried treasure that takes time to completely mine but never seem like a chore. Where other major releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux is a lavish feast where the guests around it, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flutter from discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly endlessly creative visionary.
