Luminescent Creatures

Following the international success of her 2020 album Windswept Adan, Japanese singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ichiko Aoba returns with a spiritual follow-up, continuing the imagined narrative of her previous work. Also recurrent from that album is Aoba’s partnership with arranger Taro Umebayashi and creative director Kodai Kobayashi, who respectively imbue Aoba’s vision with lush orchestrations and multimedia experimentation. Inspired by field research excursions Aoba made to the Ryukyu Archipelago, there’s a distinctly oceanic quality to much of Luminescent Creatures, with Aoba’s delicate classical guitar and piano being gently bolstered by sweeping yet unobtrusive strings and flute. These more expansive arrangements are contrasted with moments of stark intimacy, with Aoba’s almost whispered vocal accompanied by little more than light electronics and almost music box-like piano. There’s also a subtle jazz element to Aoba’s palette, both in her impeccable use of harmony and the occasional presence of plucked upright bass. Luminescent Creatures is a deeply interior and quietly soothing work, serving as an exploration of depths both internal and external.