At first glance, Lux might appear more like a challenging scholarly quiz rather than the latest popular music record by a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided into 4 distinct sections and performed in 13 tongues, it is a breathtaking symphonic work investigating feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, often via the prism of various saintly figures. The end of a romance—a theme handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward here, supported by the lush sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast roll call of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself makes the work of contemporary artists seem rather modest.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That this album succeeds in escape overly academic chin-stroking feels nearly a miracle, with sole credit going to the artist. Although it's not the first time album to fuse the past and modern styles, its ambitions are much higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more precarious. What truly elevates this fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, is an essential sense of joy. Much like the legendary Björk during her height, you find a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she is tearing your heart apart, you nevertheless desire to be alongside her for the journey.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This playful spirit comes forth clearly on a stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Then, everything falls away, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top string surge thuds down like cartoonish force. The song then shifts into the wild single driven by racing strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album is that the listener rarely exactly know—or even want to predict—where you will go next."
Almost every track concludes at a totally distinct point from where it started. A track explores the transient trappings of fame over a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic style begins off moody and sinister, featuring menacing beats, until sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to soften its jagged corners.
The Bridge Of Art & Pop
A key balancing act of Lux involves navigating the line of radical experimentation and broad appeal. This is little coincidence that the album has become her highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to collect more and more nagging hooks as it spirals upward. That feat is repeated by another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, weaving layered melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing carry a sharp smile, like a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of looming artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism for glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that requires patience to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. While other major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record offers a lavish banquet at which the characters at it, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flit between conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
