On the surface, this album may look more like a challenging university challenge rather than the latest pop project by a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Broken across 4 distinct parts and voiced in thirteen tongues, it is a dizzying orchestral-influenced opus investigating female mystique, religious ascent, and bodily change, often by way of the lens of different women saints. The end of a love affair—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, supported by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a long list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the efforts of other artists appear quite modest.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in escape overly academic posturing is almost miraculous, and sole credit belonging to the artist. Although it's not her first project to blend historical sounds with the present, its scale feel far greater here, with the tightrope walk more precarious. What truly elevates this fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is a core spirit of fun. Much like the legendary artist during her height, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts apart, you still want to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
That playful spirit comes forth brightly on the stunning Italian song about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over several minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment prior to a comically over-the-top string crescendo thuds down like comedic force. The track immediately shifts to the frenetic track featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise role from the artist herself.
"The magic with this album lies in you rarely quite understand—nor want to know—where it is going to next."
Nearly each song finishes at a totally distinct point from where it began. One moment explores the transient nature of fame with a featherlight symphony before disintegrating in digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic style begins off dark and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
A key achievement of Lux involves straddling the gap between radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is little surprise that it has become her highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language builds on a refrain that seems to gather more and more nagging melodies while it spins skyward. This feat is repeated on a different powerful track that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song charms with its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture honesty of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism for sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its own built-in excess. This is an abundant well of hidden gems that takes time to fully mine but doesn't seem like hard work. Where some major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on meal, this record is a lavish feast at which the characters at it, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit from discussions about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from pop's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
