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At first glance, Lux could seem closer to a challenging scholarly examination rather than a new pop album from an artist whose previous hit featured a global pop icon. Split across four distinct sections and voiced in thirteen languages, it is a dizzying classical-tinged work exploring feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, often through the perspective of various female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot upwards here, buoyed by the constant sound of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a vast roll call of collaborators. Its sheer ambition alone renders the efforts of contemporary artists look quite modest.

Transcending Academic Exercise

That Lux manages to escape dry academic posturing is almost a miracle, with full praise going to the artist. While it's not the first time project to blend the past with modern styles, the ambitions are far greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that really raises her fourth release, outside of its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Much like the legendary Björk during her peak, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. When she is tearing hearts in two, you still want to be alongside her for the ride.

A Prime Moment of Joy

This playful spirit shines brightly on a stirring Italian song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several minutes. Then, everything drops silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down with cartoonish force. The song then segues into the wild track featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.

"The magic with this album lies in you rarely exactly know—nor wish to know—what you will go to next."

Almost every track finishes at a totally different place from how it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of fame over a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic style begins off dark and brooding, featuring prowling vocals, until fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to soften its jagged corners.

The Balance Between Experiment & Pop

A key achievement of the album is navigating the gap of radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is no coincidence that it has become the artist's highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in English swells on a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks while it spirals upward. This trick gets echoed by another expansive track that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as an intricate tapestry.

• A waltz-like number seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
• In its words, it shares with cultural honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
• Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."

A Maximalist Feast for the Soul

Lux represents pop on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for high artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its built-in excess. It is an abundant well of buried gems that requires time to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. Where some major releases of the year felt like a meager meal, this record offers a lavish feast at which the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flit between discussions about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about useless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative practitioner.