Initially, this album may look more like an arduous university examination than the latest popular music record from a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Split across 4 separate movements and voiced in thirteen languages, it is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced opus investigating feminine mystery, religious ascent, and corporal transformation, frequently through the prism of different women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched skyward here, carried by the lush presence of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a long list of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself renders the efforts of other pop stars appear rather laughable.
Transcending Academic Exercise
That this album succeeds in transcend overly academic posturing is almost miraculous, and sole praise belonging to the artist. Although it's not the first time project to alchemize the past and modern styles, the ambitions feel much higher here, and the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that really raises this fourth album, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the iconic Björk during her height, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. When she's tearing hearts in two, the listener still want to be alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That exuberant energy shines brightly during a stirring Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Then, everything drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated string surge thuds in with comedic impact. The song immediately segues to the frenetic single featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic of Lux lies in you rarely quite know—or even want to predict—what it will go to next."
Nearly every track finishes at a completely distinct place than where it began. One moment examines the fleeting nature of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing in electronic cacophony. Another, a song echoing the artist's previous rhythmic work starts out dark and sinister, featuring menacing beats, until sudden flamenco rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Of Experiment and Pop
A key balancing act of Lux involves navigating the gap of radical experimentation and broad appeal. It is no surprise that the album has achieved her highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. One track sung primarily in English builds around a chorus that feels to gather increasingly infectious hooks while it spins skyward. This trick is repeated by another expansive ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining layered tunes like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry amid of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of buried treasure that requires patience to completely mine but doesn't seem like hard work. While other major releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record is a lavish feast where the guests at the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flit from discussions about historical saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's most restlessly creative practitioner.
