On the surface, Lux may look closer to a difficult scholarly quiz than a new popular music project from a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with a global pop star. Broken across 4 different parts and voiced in 13 languages, we have a dizzying symphonic album that delves into female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently by way of the lens of various women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—is launched skyward here, buoyed by the constant presence of a full orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among an extensive roll call of contributors. The pure audacity by itself makes the work of other pop stars look rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album manages to avoid overly intellectual posturing feels nearly miraculous, with sole credit belonging to the artist. While this is not her first album to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its stakes feel far higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more precarious. The element that truly elevates her fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, rich compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of playfulness. Much like the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a captivating sense to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart apart, you nevertheless want to be right there for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
That playful energy comes forth clearly on the stirring piano-led song about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything drops away, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment before a hilariously exaggerated string surge thuds in with cartoonish force. The track then segues to the wild single driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with Lux is that you rarely quite understand—nor want to predict—where you is going next."
Nearly each track concludes in a completely distinct point than how it began. A track examines the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating in digital chaos. Another, a cut echoing the artist's previous trap-infused work starts out moody and sinister, with menacing beats, until sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth its rough corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Pop
Another crucial achievement on the album is navigating the line of bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is little surprise that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting release to crack the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song sung primarily in the English language builds on a refrain that seems to collect increasingly nagging melodies while it spins skyward. This trick gets repeated by another expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural honesty of other breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Across the album, the singing have a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album is pop on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for high artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its own inherent excess. This is a deep source of hidden treasure that requires patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like hard work. While other major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record offers a sumptuous feast at which the characters at the table, some intoxicated on holy drink, flit from conversations about historical saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most endlessly creative visionary.
