On the surface, Lux might appear closer to a challenging university challenge than a new pop record by a musician whose previous single featured an international K-pop icon. Broken across four different sections and voiced in 13 tongues, it is a dizzying orchestral-influenced work exploring feminine mystery, religious ascent, and physical transformation, often via the prism of various women saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot upwards on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the efforts of other pop stars seem quite laughable.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that this album manages to avoid overly academic posturing feels nothing short of a miracle, with full credit going to the artist. While this is not the first time project to fuse the past and modern styles, the ambitions are much higher on Lux, with the balancing act more dramatic. The element that truly raises her fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is a core sense of fun. Much like the iconic artist at her height, there is a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts apart, you still desire to be alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This exuberant spirit shines clearly during the stunning piano-led song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for several moments. Then, everything drops away, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously exaggerated string surge crashes down like cartoonish impact. The track immediately shifts into the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm with this album lies in the listener rarely exactly understand—or even wish to predict—what you will go to next."
Nearly every song ends in a totally different point from where it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of celebrity over a featherlight symphony before collapsing into electronic chaos. Another, a song echoing the artist's previous trap-infused style begins off dark and sinister, with prowling beats, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Accessibility
A key balancing act of the album involves straddling the gap of radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is little surprise that the album has become her highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a suite of truly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in English swells on a refrain that feels to collect increasingly nagging melodies as it spins skyward. That feat is repeated by a different expansive ballad that expands and constricts, weaving multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number charms via its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook character hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for high Art amid of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of buried gems that takes patience to fully mine but doesn't seem like a chore. While other big releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record offers a lavish feast at which the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flutter from conversations about historical saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's most restlessly creative visionary.
