At first glance, Lux could seem closer to a challenging scholarly quiz than a new popular music record from a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Split across four separate parts and voiced in 13 languages, it is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced opus that delves into feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and corporal change, frequently through the prism of various women saints. The end of a romance—a theme treated with raw openness elsewhere—is shot upwards here, supported by the lush presence of a major orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a long list of contributors. Its sheer daring alone makes the work of contemporary artists seem quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That Lux manages to transcend overly intellectual chin-stroking feels almost a miracle, with full praise going to the artist. While it's not her first album to fuse the past with the present, the stakes are much greater here, with the tightrope walk more pronounced. What truly elevates this fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of joy. Much like the iconic artist during her height, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts in two, the listener still desire to be right there for the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That exuberant energy comes forth brightly on a stirring Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four minutes. Then, everything falls silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh and a comment prior to a comically over-the-top string surge thuds in like comedic force. The song then shifts into the frenetic single driven by racing strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in you never exactly understand—or even wish to know—where you will go next."
Almost every track concludes at a completely distinct place from how it began. One moment explores the fleeting nature of fame over a featherlight orchestration before collapsing into digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing her earlier trap-infused style starts out moody and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, before sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment & Pop
Another crucial balancing act of Lux is navigating the gap between bold innovation and broad appeal. It is no coincidence that the album has become the artist's highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy hits. One track sung primarily in the English language swells around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly infectious melodies as it spirals upward. That trick gets repeated on a different expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former lover labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a sharp edge, akin to a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires time to completely mine but doesn't seem like a chore. Where some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's truly endlessly creative visionary.
