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Ichiko Aoba: Luminescent Creatures review – nurturing music for bleak times
The cult Japanese singer-songwriter’s new album, inspired by the Ryukyu islands, is like a powerfully soothing sound bath
Though there have been quote-unquote “singles” released in its run-up – the hypnotic, acoustic lullaby of , or the rolling pianos and rippling harps of Luciférine – Luminescent Creatures is an album to fall into; prescription-worthy aural blood pressure medication against a frenetic world. Inspired by field research into Japan’s Ryukyu islands and Aoba’s resultant meditations on the vast powers of the ocean, there is a tactile, organic beauty to Coloratura’s twisting flutes and twinkling bells, or the underwater soundscape of instrumental interlude Cochlea. Soothing as a sound bath, yet powerful in its world-building, Aoba’s continued ascent to stardom might seem unlikely, yet this is nurturing music for bleak times.
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