Audiopile Review: Well known in Japan, Ichiko Aoba’s music took over a decade to break beyond her home country. Ba Da Bing! was the first to release one of her albums domestically, 2021’s Windswept Adan, an album that became a mainstay here in the shop, driven entirely by word of mouth (that LP is now OOP and going for $$$!). While her earliest albums were relatively straightforward folk, consisting of not much else but vocals and acoustic guitar, by the time she got to Windswept Adan, Aoba was incorporating lush strings, breathy woodwinds and chiming percussion to help elevate her lighter-than-air vocals and feathery guitar into a precious majesty. Luminescent Creatures, her first album in four years, actually pulls back on the frothy effervescence of Windswept, withdrawing inward into her womblike incantations that once again largely centre around her voice, guitar and minimal instrumentation. Though the album does open with the slowly unfolding orchestration of “COLORATURA”, and the gingerly soaring music-box twilight of “Luciférine“ is an album highlight, the rest tends toward a minimal, near-sombre tone. Her breathy vocals, occasionally doubled in the mix for a heavenly depth, are the North Star for the nocturnal compositions, a bright light to focus on while a light swirl of keys and strings draw the eyelids ever-downwards. Granted, Aoba surely stems from a long line of women in Japanese folk, the shadow of Sachiko Kanenobu and Maki Asakawa loom long over her work, but we can’t help but also hear the pearlescent worlds of Joanna Newsom, Sigur Ros’ early works, and Bjork’s exquisite Vespertine. Huge recommendation.

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To listen to Ichiko Aoba is to be drawn into a world as intimate as a warmly lit home, but cosmic in scale. The Japanese singer, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, has taken a dedicated online fanbase built from TikTok sounds and critically acclaimed, and translated that into international tours spanning more than 20 countries. She was well known in Japan—collaborating with artists like Haruomi Hosono, Cornelius, and the late Ryuichi Sakamoto—but Windswept Adan earned the adoration of fellow musicians like Japanese Breakfast, Pomme and Weyes Blood. Aoba’s latest album, Luminescent Creatures, is the culmination of her 15-year long career and finds her deftly melding the jazz-infused folk with the orchestral world building. Available exclusively on eco-vinyl, the eco-friendly packaging reflects Aoba’s deep commitment to environmentalism.