Ichiko Aoba Discography REVIEWS

 i've made it a challenge for myself to listen an entire artist's discography this year with an artist a month. for February, i made it a goal to listen to every record made and recorded by Ichiko Aoba, the prolific Japanese contemporary folk artist. to keep it brief, here's all my thoughts and feelings on the records.

1. Kamisori Otome (2010)

ok time to admit: only ever listened to one ichiko aoba song in my life. if i remember what it was, it was definitely the opener on 0, so i know how ichiko sounds but not how her discography progresses.

what a beautiful debut. to start your LP with a song about floating and introspection with others and continuing the vibe of simple pleasures and comfort throughout the entire project. each song sounds like smelling fresh sheets, soft summer winds, and teary dreams. each pluck of string and sung lyric just lull me into a trance state of images and the feelings encapsulating every moment told by ichiko aoba.

besides the intro and closing tracks being stellar, "tooi akogare" caught me off-guard by being the only song having some english lyrics. almost flabbergasted to find out this is also a cover of a moomin song and the lyrics are not in the lyric book for this album, which is an interesting choice as an artist. its a heavenly cover thankfully, and might be a personal favorite during this discog listen.

there's not really much other things to talk about other than the pure bliss listening to this. its simple, moving, and mesmerizing from start to finish and i'm excited to really dig into what the other albums have in store.

98/110

2. Origami (2011)

a small downgrade from the previous album, which makes this feel like a b-sides. if i had to boil down my assessment of this album to one nitpick, id say some songs are just too minimal for a higher rating (e.g. the 2nd track). ichiko is still performing headache-removing vocals and stunning guitar work on the highlights however. "hidokei" provides a notable shift of pace on the back end and "patchwork" has incredible plucking throughout its runtime.

86/110

3. Utabiko (2012)

noticeably more longing than her other records, i don't know if id prefer this over her debut still. the past few albums have definitely shown their colors on the covers, kamisori otome being a heavenly cream, origami being a soft and faded yellow, and this album feeling like sun-shaded leaves of green or murky puddles full of moss. the opener is another incredible piece of story and fantastical elements while the rest of the tracks are pretty standard for ichiko.

96/110

4. 0 (2013)

i mean this has gotta be the best thing ichiko aoba has ever put out right? the shade of pink on the cover reminisces of skin, whether it be on the soles of feet and hands after a wash, or bright-colored cheeks being warmed by sunlight. but it also represents something bigger than what it wears.

while the guitar is heavenly, the first track really sets an unsettling mood on wishful thinking during the tragedy surrounding us: death and life. "iam POD (0%)" continues the soft embrace of this melancholy of a dragging guitar and glowing vocals during its lifetime. and ends with a struggling as if finally swallowed. by the way i have to mention this being the longest project so far makes this feel much grander in scope, even longer songs don't feel like they're dragging on, small noises behind every track flow the world into your head almost effortlessly.

the drippings and winds on "mars 2027" really show how aoba can project emptiness onto a listener. the sadness bled into the ending is incredibly potent, as it sounds like the narrator crumbles into the dust mars is encased in. the next track is another "no lyric" (pretty much a standard so far in her catalogue) but is around what i'm assuming the crisis of life after death or even more simply, waking after dreams. the unsteady bass and bat squeals quivering throughout the ballad sounds like something trying to escape from the nightmare, either the narrator or the song itself. (it could be an artifact of recording since ichiko aoba improvised this while in a tunnel)

the "glimpse of a song" after (haha see what i did there) is unfortunately the shortest on the entire record, but still features a lovely performance of hope after a dark passage. "clockwork universe" afterwards is another looong section, dedicated to different sections of a play performed by aoba. narrating a person falling love, builds a universe in perfect absolute, working like clockwork and reminiscing the lover lost, portrayed by high plucked strings in the later part before its ending. the universe, in turn, sours and rusts, yet continues its pattern after its creator tears over the universe's head, forever recounting all the planets as its swan song.

"april preperations" might be the weakest track for me, as it sounds like a leftover of previous records. whereas most of the themes on 0 may have uplifting scenarios or passages, this track is mostly embracing the brightness of life instead of its lessons or darkness behind its mask. 

the last song on 0, "seasons" might be more fitted for something else on first glance but really works as a closer here. the passage of time continuing throughout the lyrics and mournful strings beg for love and peace before the end, whether it be far or sooner than expected. 0 is absolutely my favorite album from ichiko aoba ever and the closer really could sell you itself, but the opener did that for me years ago.

if you aren't convinced of aoba's majesty, i think this album could lull you into believing it. her brilliant guitar work makes every song feel warm, like stories by campfire or walking through trails with no clouds in sight. i'm hoping the new album coming out this week continues the heavenly journey the discog listening has given me.

108/110

5. Mahoroboshiya (2016)

it's weird to think this album took a few years for a much darker sound than presented on "0". although presented in this darkness, it's radiance still makes every pluck and note feel like the end of the tunnel. noises from under a coffin with holes stabbed into it, still above ground and open. a river dried only due to the natural dam occurring above it.

also to note are the three pure instrumental tracks on here, the opener, "ice bird", and "stork". they really serve the vibe of the album, really mournful, angelic, and atmospheric. "stork" especially with its incredibly simple piano and field recording texture alone. its kind of a weird and pleasant change of pace for ichiko aoba's sound as a whole.

while the experience as a whole is a lot like other aoba projects, i'm wanting a little more from this one. highlights do include "mahoroboshiya" and "yumeshigure", ballads with such beauty and imagery, but something about most of the songs here don't hook me as they should. "mazel tov" is a very short birthday tune, "yusagi" doesn't feel full in its 3 minute runtime, & "mr sun" definitely doesn't sound like it fits. i'm still enjoying every cycle ichiko aoba has put out so far, but they can show their struggles at times.

87/110

6. qp (2018)

now drawing with a blue color this time around, representing water and sky (whether day or night, rain or ocean). this sounds like a return to the beginning, encompassing what makes her early work so special.

the first two ballads after the first song really showcase this, just beautiful and long worlds written from her dreams with elegant guitar and vocal talent. god, they're so special and for no reason other than the presentation of it. simple and heavenly. i know i've used those descriptors a LOT during these listens but sometimes they're all you can put into words. the mid to endpoint of the record solidifies this tone; "no one's world" with a beautiful ending, "fairy of the shoreline" with curious tempo, "anthony the sheep" becoming a personal favorite for how slow it starts and how cold and dark it feels without any dread or evil behind it.

but also the closer "funeral precession at the seashore" has to be mentioned. a closure to mourning and an end to a life. the windy sands crying from the sea, the storm blowing in and driving life away, the lone voice and instrument still there, wailing after the community's end. just a wonderful closing song for a fantastic addition to ichiko aoba's discography.

98/110

7. Ayukawa No Shizuku (2019)

idk what you want me to say more about this one, just a very light, yet daunting, nature album that has some lovely bits of ichiko aoba throughout.

84/110

8. Windswept Adan (2020)

i didn't listen to this when it came out and it bothered me over the course of a few years. i've got a lot on my plane for being someone who loves music but the amount of ADHD keeps me from being so active within my habits that i miss out on a lot of things. title fight is a recent example, but i wasn't listening to much hardcore in high school. now i'm in my 20s wondering why i didn't listen to more ichiko aoba when i was taking extra curricular for math. her surprising me with how minimalism helps a song rather than hinder changed something for me back then.

but i have to say, this is a different ichiko aoba than the one i was familiar with in 0. more strings, vocal layering, and twinkling bells to accompany aoba's already dream-like song structures make everything feel so wide and open, like a beach the adan trees reside. the backing orchestra killed every performance they had here.

the filtering on the guitar on "porcelain" remind me of early psych and new age records. "easter lily"'s slow and lullaby tempo make it lush and graceful. the very simplistic approach on "sagu palm's song" almost sounds like it came from a vault aoba already had in store since 0 but waited for the perfect opportunity to fit into a puzzle piece. how could you even forget "dawn in the adan" with its living winds and swelling guitar? its on the running to be the best song of her whole career and the album isnt even 5 yet. and that's only the songs with vocals attached to them.

"parfum d'etoiles" basically sounds like cafe background noise, but the splashes of water and aoba's faint vocals make it incredibly special, even if you were listening to this in a cafe's playlist. "prologue" provides a wonderful and enveloping atmosphere alongside the cover. "ohayashi" is just sweeping strings culminating in an explosion of beauty before the final track.

speaking of, "adan no shima no tanjyosai" is just purely euphoric. another heavenly ending to what i think might be a competitor for best ichiko aoba album of all time. watery, warm, and a stunning addition to a catalog that's already full of serene records like this one.

108/110

9. Amiko (2022)

ok maybe this wasn't the best one to put for the discog binge. only standout moments include the theme, "mushrooms", "cartwheels", and ESPECIALLY "hello". i understand that ichiko was really experimenting with textures, nature, and simple structures, but this might be real under-baked, even if it's just film score.

63/110

10. Luminescent Creatures (2025)

OK OK I FINALLY MADE IT TO THE NEW ALBUM

battling the struggles of February really made it hard to get back into binging music again so now after finally completing all of ichiko aoba's current discog, i've made it to the new album. thank god.

sporting another watery texture (but showing what looks like rock or gems underneath) again shows how simple colors and filters showcase what kind of experience you're gonna get in aoba's cycles. accompanied by an orchestra again, i'm expecting another half an hour of beauty and comfort.

now "coloratura" isn't my favorite opener of her's, but its not to dismiss the overwhelming strings and vocals introducing you into the soaked cave the sound invites you to. the next couple tracks emphasize this by the physical location of a lighthouse in the 2nd track, and the reverb coaching the bells in "mazamun" to feel like a cave surrounding you. "tower"'s whimsical approach sounds never-ending like a staircase the mentioned lighthouse hides. the gentle "aurora" and "flag" envelope you into the wind taunting from the ocean. "luciferine" is also a newer aoba track that stands up to the best of her early work. its eerie and serene vibe give a sense of some nefarious being hidden within its murky depths. "pirsomia" being another simple instrumental still holds water from its climax to its very light ending. the last 2 songs, "sonar" and "wakusei no namida" are very subtle and sad endings to this project. the slow pacing, winds howling, and ethereal lyrics kinda tear me up and just leave me speechless afterwards.

the only weak track on a technicality is definitely "cochlea" but only for its short runtime and simple recording of water and wind. it still fits well within the record however small it may be.

what another excellent grouping of songs from ichiko, my only disappointment is that it ended! every single ichiko aoba album could be the length of "ayukawa no shizuku" and it wouldn't take away from the majesty of her world-building and structure. while not being my favorite now, i'm sure with time it could last as the top 3 of her entire work.

98/110

And that's February! I've got a few more things to paste onto this site including doing January, continuing with my adventure by listening to more artists during the year, and listening to new releases for the rest of this very busy year for me, I'll see y'all soon!