Ichiko Aoba – Luminescent Creatures Review

Origins of life, of love and faith are made clear on Luminescent Creatures. Ichiko Aoba’s effort here is in the interpretation of memory and its influence on music, and on moments in our future. There is an inevitably lush tone to consider on Luminescent Creatures, this always switched-on approach to the world and what we take for granted. Everything from the sky to the sea is understood as constant, always there, yet profound and near impossible in its creation. Compartmentalising that emotional momentum, that feeling of realisation in the face of true beauty, is no small task. Yet Luminescent Creatures manages it. Expect the warm tones, the natural charms of an album connected with nature and all its wisdom. Prepare for more than that. Aoba discovers the joy of being present and evolves the listening experience Luminescent Creatures offers so wonderfully.  

Extraordinary tonal control is what gives Aoba an edge here. Coloratura is a charmed song, an ever-growing instrumental flourish which implores another listen as soon as it ends. On and on it goes, a perpetual state of relistening and repeating these early moments. Luminescent Creatures feels otherworldly at times and its opener is a crucial example of this skill. Every listen has the chance to unlock some new thought, and that is the key to Luminescent Creatures’ soon-to-be longstanding power. Gentle expressions yet assured and confident in the approach to finding these softer sounds. Certainly an album where the transitions from song to song are all important. The slowed tempo towards the end of Coloratura informs the tone taken on 24º 3′ 26.98″ N, 123º 47′ 7.5″ E. Soft vocal work on Mazamun has a comforting effect discarded for sterner piano approaches taken on follow-up Tower. What remains tremendous is the tonal consistency, this rising character and courage Luminescent Creatures maintains. 

An album of this style is fundamentally reliant on the conviction of the artist piecing it together. Those acoustic joys on Aurora are carried by the softer tones taken by Aoba’s vocal range. It is the peace and tranquillity which makes all the difference on Luminescent Creatures. Sleek production is crucial. Luminescent Creatures has it. What it does not have is longevity in its latter half, where Cochlea provides very little as a song transitions into the similar sounds of Luciférine, which adapts well after the instrumental break but is not far enough away from Tower or Aurora. Strings are the key difference, the reason to continue on and get washed up in its wave of influence.  

Instrumental joys are the real winner here. Stripped-back sounds on Pirsomnia continue with an articulate and often daring sound, a suggestion of pastures new. Asking each track to present such worldbuilding would be a dangerous game, an unreachable point. But Aoba tries nonetheless and much of Luminescent Creatures’ success can be charted back to the touching flourishes found in nature. Those moments so clearly influenced by the feeling of freedom in the face of natural elements. There is a fine line between soft-sounding and translucent efforts. Folk charms are the hidden weapon at play here. Those acoustic numbers are guided by the same faith in the familiar, in our immediate surroundings, as the genre boom in the UK. Luminescent Creatures is a charming album where the hope of finding hope in light, not warmth, becomes a considerable triumph once reached.