Initially, this album might appear closer to a difficult university challenge than the latest pop album from a musician who just had a last single featured an international pop icon. Split across 4 separate sections and voiced in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying symphonic album investigating feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and corporal change, often through the perspective of various women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward here, buoyed by the lush sound of a full orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the efforts of other pop stars seem quite modest.
Transcending Academic Exercise
That this album succeeds in avoid dry academic posturing feels almost a miracle, and sole credit going to the artist. Although this is not her first album to blend the past with the present, the ambitions feel far higher here, and the balancing act more dramatic. The element that really elevates this fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing hearts apart, you still desire to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
That exuberant spirit comes forth clearly during the stirring piano-led ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for several moments. Then, everything falls away, and there's a gleeful laugh and a declaration before a comically exaggerated string crescendo thuds down like cartoonish force. The track then shifts into the wild single driven by racing strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The magic of this album lies in you rarely exactly understand—nor want to know—where you is going to next."
Almost every track finishes in a totally distinct place than where it began. One moment examines the transient nature of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating into digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic style begins off moody and brooding, with prowling beats, until sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Balance Of Art and Accessibility
A key achievement of Lux is navigating the gap of radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has become her highest-charting release to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. A song performed primarily in English swells on a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spirals upward. That feat gets echoed by a different powerful track that grows and contracts, weaving layered melodies like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural honesty of other heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for high artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of buried gems that takes patience to fully explore but never seem like hard work. While some big pop albums of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record offers a lavish banquet where the guests around it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flit from conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
