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At first glance, Lux could seem closer to a difficult academic quiz rather than a new pop album from an artist who just had a last hit featured a global pop icon. Broken across four separate movements and voiced in thirteen tongues, this is a breathtaking classical-tinged opus investigating female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and physical change, often by way of the lens of various women saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—soars heavenward here, carried by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive list of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself renders the work of contemporary artists seem quite small.

Rising Above Scholarly Exercise

The fact that Lux manages to escape dry intellectual posturing feels nothing short of a miracle, and sole credit going to the artist. Although this is not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds with the present, the stakes feel far higher on Lux, and the balancing act far more pronounced. The element that truly raises her fourth album, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core sense of fun. Similar to the legendary artist during her height, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she is breaking hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to be alongside her through the ride.

A Signature Example of Exuberance

This playful energy shines clearly on a stirring piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over several minutes. Then, everything falls away, and we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top string surge crashes in with comedic force. The song immediately segues to the wild track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.

"The magic with Lux lies in you rarely exactly know—or even wish to predict—where it will go next."

Almost every song ends at a completely different point from where it started. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity over a delicate symphony before collapsing into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic work begins off moody and brooding, featuring menacing beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to soften the song's jagged edges.

The Bridge Of Art & Pop

A key balancing act of Lux is navigating the gap between bold innovation and broad appeal. This is little surprise that the album has become her highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. One track sung entirely in English builds around a chorus that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies while it spins skyward. That feat gets repeated by another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as an intricate weave.

• A waltz-like number seduces with its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
• In its words, it aligns the pop culture impact of other breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
• Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."

An Opulent Feast for the Soul

This album represents popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for high Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its inherent excess. This is an abundant well of buried gems that requires patience to completely mine but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other big pop albums of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record is a sumptuous banquet at which the guests at the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter from conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.