On Feb. 28, Japanese folk artist Ichiko Aoba released the highly anticipated “Luminescent Creatures.” This effort comes after her lauded 2020 album “Windswept Adan” and the soundtrack to the film “Amiko” in 2022.
The album begins ethereally with soft vocals and an arpeggiating acoustic guitar on “COLORATURA.” Although her lyrics are in Japanese, the language barrier does not hinder the sheer beauty of the composition and the album. There is a lot to appreciate about Ichiko Aoba’s work regardless of what language you speak, and this song is just one of many examples of that. It would still be nice to know what the lyrics mean for deeper appreciation, however.
“24° 3′ 27.0″ N, 123° 47′ 7.5″ E” are the coordinates to a location in Okinawa, Japan. More specifically, it seems to be a lighthouse. It is unknown why the coordinates are the name of this song, but it certainly is memorable—arguably more than the song itself due to how short it is.
“mazamun” has a pretty chime-like piano sound to it. The second half has this interesting, warped sound before the main melody changes itself. If anything, this song feels like swimming underwater, which is probably what Ichiko Aoba was going for, judging from the cover and title of the album.
“tower” is easily one of the best compositions on the album. The rich piano mixed with Aoba’s soft but resilient voice and the violin and bass plucking creates this incredibly beautiful texture. Oddly enough, the piano sounds reminiscent of rapper Kendrick Lamar’s “Father Time” occasionally.
“aurora” is absolutely breathtaking. The acoustic guitar melody is so beautiful and lush. Aoba’s voice is, as always, very relaxing to listen to.
“FLAG,” one of the singles for “Luminescent Creatures,” has this charming lo-fi quality to it at the beginning. It feels cozy yet somewhat icy when Aoba’s vocals come in. The song is like something you would listen to while snuggling up in a blanket in the winter. It’s certainly one of the best songs on the album, especially when the acoustic guitar playing comes in.
“Cochlea,” named after the fluid-filled spiral-shaped mechanism in the ear that amplifies sound, is just an interlude. It’s not much to write about.
“Luciférine,” another single for the album, likely has the best melody on the entire album with the piano playing.
“pirsomnia,” which doesn’t seem to be an actual word in the dictionary, could have the beginning get sampled by a producer who could make it into an incredible beat. There’s a bass that appears once that is reminiscent of the electronic artist Burial or producer Whitearmor, who worked extensively with the Swedish internet musical collective Drain Gang.
This is certainly the most electronic song on the album, and although it’s subtle and not prevalent in the instrumentation, it proves that Aoba can successfully expand into other genres besides folk. This could make fans excited for more songs in this sort of electronic-inspired vein.
“SONAR,” the final single for “Luminescent Creatures,” plays like a piano ballad. It’s well-executed, especially the ambience of the synths in the background.
“惑星の泪,” romanized as “Wakusei no Namida” or “Tears of the Planet,” is a contender for the best song on the album with the faint wind samples paired with the staple of the acoustic guitar. Aoba’s voice is so enamoring and captivating on top of that.
There’s a lot to love about the music of Aoba. This is another album to add to her rich catalogue of folk music. She makes folk music that is less dull and boring than other artists and bands with her beautiful, calming voice and lush instrumentation. This is great music to fall asleep or study to, since it’s so inoffensive to the ears. I wish I knew Japanese so that I could add more commentary on the lyrics, but sonically, there’s so much to praise already.
Rating: 4/5