On the surface, this album could seem closer to an arduous university quiz rather than a new popular music record from an artist whose previous single was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Split into four different parts and sung in thirteen tongues, we have a head-spinning symphonic opus investigating feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, often through the prism of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with raw openness elsewhere—is shot upwards here, carried by the lush sound of a full orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a long list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the work of contemporary artists look rather laughable.
Transcending Academic Pretense
That Lux succeeds in avoid overly academic posturing is nearly a miracle, and full credit belonging to the artist. Although this is not the first time album to alchemize the past and modern styles, its scale feel far higher on Lux, with the balancing act more pronounced. The element that truly raises this fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and inherent drama, is an essential spirit of joy. Similar to the iconic Björk during her peak, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. When she's breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless want to be alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This playful spirit shines clearly on a stunning piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over several minutes. Then, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously exaggerated string crescendo crashes down like comedic force. The track then segues to the wild track featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The charm with this album lies in the listener never exactly know—or even want to predict—what it is going to next."
Nearly every track concludes at a completely different point than how it began. A track examines the transient nature of fame over a delicate symphony only to disintegrating in electronic chaos. Another, a song that recalls her earlier trap-infused work begins out moody and sinister, with prowling vocals, until sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Art & Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of the album is straddling the line of bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little surprise that the album has become the artist's first release to crack the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a suite of truly undeniable hits. A song performed primarily in English builds on a refrain that feels to collect more and more infectious hooks as it spins upward. This feat gets repeated on another powerful track that grows and contracts, weaving multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
This album is pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism for glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden treasure that takes patience to fully mine but doesn't seem like a chore. While other major pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux is a lavish feast where the guests at it, some tipsy on holy wine, flutter from conversations about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about useless partners. It is a contemporary musical from pop's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
