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Aoba, Ichiko - Luminescent Creatures

Aoba, Ichiko - Luminescent Creatures

Format: Vinyl LP

UPC: 850068258086

Release Date: 02/28/25

Condition: N

$24.98 USD
$24.98 USD $24.98 USD
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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 artist has taken a dedicated online fanbase built from viral TikTok sound clips and critically acclaimed albums and translated it into international tours spanning more than 20 countries. Aoba's latest album, Luminescent Creatures is the culmination of her 15-year long career - during which she's collaborated with Japanese luminaries such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono, Cornelius, and more - and finds her deftly melding the jazz-infused folk of her early albums with the orchestral world building of her 2020 opus Windswept Adan. While conducting field research on Ryukyu Archipelago, Ichiko was enamored by the boundless beauty, and occasional terror of the ocean. She'd go freediving, submitting herself to the whims of the tides. "I feel unable to resist the pull of the ocean," Ichiko says, "and know how easy it would be for my small body to be swallowed by the sea." That contradiction, gentleness and power, instilled a sense of awe that is expressed in the soundscapes of Luminescent Creatures. "Luciférine" introduces her central theory: bioluminescence. Lush strings and twinkling piano ripple like sunbeams on lapping waves, cutting through the dark expanse of the briny deep. "Inside each of us," she sings, "there is a place for our stars to sleep." It conjures an image of creatures pouring off light like celestial bodies, lighting a path to close the distance between galaxies. On "SONAR," she ruminates on other ways to bridge the divide. "Beyond the darkness, a glimmer of somebody's voice"-her own voice low in the mix as if suppressed by insurmountable depths. An echo of her voice creeps in, reverberating like a whale song. Even with the most rudimentary senses, we find ways to one another. Luminescent Creatures is about making meaningful connections against impossible odds. The sea is immense and ancient, but it is also reminiscent, housing a deep record of fossils and recollections of how we've treated our planet. "When I stare into the seemingly bottomless black depths of a trench," Ichiko reflects. "I occasionally see the blinking light of some rainbow-colored lifeform." That organism may not speak any known language, but in that moment it managed to communicate in a universal way. "My beloved Luminescent Creatures 

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RETURNS
Items may be returned within 60 days of the delivery date.

If not defective, any product returned must be in the same condition in which customer received it and in the original retail packaging.
Yellow Racket will be responsible for cost of return on all damaged or defective items. Customer is responsible for cost of return if item is not damaged or defective. Photo/video evidence of damages/defects must be provided by customer within 14 days of the delivery date.
Customer assumes all responsibility for duties and taxes associated with international shipments.
Yellow Racket assigns condition based on the Goldmine Standard for grading records.
New (N) (Not typically included in the Goldmine Standard)
New records are purchased directly from the label, distributor, or registered wholesaler. Records are still sealed. Jackets may have slight shelf wear, but media has never been played.
Mint (M)
Still sealed. Never played. No observable flaws.  Items have been purchased secondhand.
Near Mint (NM)
A Near Mint (NM) record will play perfectly, with no imperfections during playback. The record should show no obvious signs of wear.
The cover (and any additional packaging) has no creases, folds, seam splits, cut-out holes, or other noticeable defects.
Very Good Plus (VG+)
A Very Good Plus (VG+) record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it.
Defects should be more of a cosmetic nature, not affecting the actual playback as a whole. Record surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches.
The disc and LP cover may have slight signs of wear, and may be gently marred by spindle marks, paper scuffs, wrinkled corners, etc.
Very Good (VG)
Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident, but will not overpower the music. Disc may have light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound.
Labels, jackets, and inserts will have visible cosmetic flaws such as wrinkles, cut-outs, slight splitting, etc. However, it will usually have less than a dozen minor flaws.
Good (G)
A record in Good condition can be played through without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise, scratches, and visible groove wear. A cover or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear, or other defects will be present.
While the record will be playable without skipping, noticeable surface noise and "ticks" will almost certainly accompany the playback. 
Poor (P), Fair (F)
The record may be cracked, badly warped, or won't play through without skipping or repeating. The picture sleeve may be water damaged, split, or heavily marred by wear and writing.
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