On the surface, this album could seem closer to a challenging academic examination than a new pop record by an artist who just had a last hit was a collaboration with a global pop star. Divided across 4 different sections and voiced in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning classical-tinged album investigating feminine mystery, religious ascent, and bodily change, frequently by way of the prism of different saintly figures. The end of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, supported by the lush sound of a major orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter within a long list of collaborators. The pure daring alone renders the efforts of other pop stars appear rather modest.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend dry academic posturing feels nearly miraculous, and complete praise belonging to the artist. While this is not the first time project to blend historical sounds with modern styles, its ambitions feel far greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, is an essential sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts apart, you nevertheless desire to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This playful spirit shines brightly on the stunning Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four moments. Then, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh and a comment prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down like cartoonish force. The song immediately segues to the frenetic single driven by galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist Björk.
"The magic with this album is that you never quite know—or even wish to know—what it will go to next."
Almost each song concludes in a completely different place from how it started. One moment examines the fleeting trappings of fame over a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic style begins off moody and brooding, with menacing vocals, before sudden traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus enter to soften its jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Pop
Another crucial balancing act of Lux involves navigating the line between radical innovation and mainstream appeal. It is little coincidence that the album has become her first release to break into the upper reaches of major charts: at its core a collection of utterly catchy hits. One track performed primarily in the English language builds on a refrain that seems to gather more and more nagging hooks while it spirals upward. This trick gets repeated on another powerful track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the singing have a painted-on edge, like a storybook character hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism for sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its built-in excess. It is an abundant well of buried gems that requires patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While some major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record is a sumptuous feast where the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter between conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's most endlessly inventive visionary.
