Ichiko Aoba, a Japanese folk singer/songwriter, was born on January 28th, 1990. Producing music since she was 17, she has taken inspiration from the likes of Disney and Studio Ghibli, specializing in the classical guitar. Ichiko Aoba is an independent artist and releases music under her own label, Hermine. To date Aoba has released seven studio albums, her most recent studio album being Windswept Adan (2020). She has also released 13 singles since 2017; ichikoaoba.com is her official site containing information about her projects (including her poetry), and information regarding herself.
Windswept Adan (2020) is a studio album written by Ichiko Aoba and produced by Taro Umebayashi. The album has a runtime of 50 minutes and a selection of 14 songs. Ichiko Aoba based the album on the concept of a soundtrack for a fictional film. Taro Umebayashi was invited to co-produce the composition and arrangement of the album, with all songs being recorded and mixed by him. The mastering of the album was done by Seigen Ono.
Windswept Adan has a narrative of its own. A young girl is exiled from her home, a fictional island called Kirinaki, to the neighboring island Adan. Where she encounters mythical creatures who communicate with one another by trading seashells.
Prologue is the first song on the album, the listener is greeted with a harmony of ambient sounds from waves crashing, the organ and chirming bells emulating a sound of wind chimes, and Ichiko Aoba’s vocalization. Prologue makes you feel like Alice waking up in Wonderland with its dreamlike sounds. It is a world surrounded by the fog of the unknown and otherworldly beauty. Windswept Adan puts us in the protagonist’s position as the world’s Alice; the album is the listener’s journey in Ichiko Aoba’s world that she has created for the people who used to read fairy tales in their childhood, dreaming of an adventure of their own.
Pilgrimage is the second song of the album, the start of the adventure. Pilgrimage, like most songs of the album, does not have any spoken lyrics. The classical guitar is apparent in the track, with Aoba also utilizing the flute, creating a surreal atmospheric experience. Pilgrimage is how I imagine the protagonist seeing the creatures on the island communicate with each other for the first time. No words are spoken, but when listening closely there is a language that can be understood.
Dawn in the Adan is a personal favorite on the album. The twelfth installment, the adventure is soon to come to an end. The song is opened by Aoba’s signature instrument, the classical guitar. Dawn in the Adan is one of the five tracks that do have spoken lyrics.
Dawn in the Adan lyrics (Japanese to English):
the murmur of dawn
no one is here
as the falling stardust returns to the eastern sky
tomorrow perhaps
there is nothing to see here
even then in the end
you’ll cradle my head in your arms
listen to the ancient ocean’s song
the small boats of the afterlife are saying something to me
but I can’t hear it all
my heart flutters then
high in the sky
even with both arms stretched out
they break off
this place is always open you know
but no one comes
a long time I wait patiently
the children who cross the ocean
awaken with the flowers
its skin is torn
what is this?
seawater pouring from its body
a beautiful creature
crawling outside
Even without an understanding of the Japanese language, there is still a feeling of melancholy while listening to it. Dawn in the Adan feels like an early morning at the end of the summer. You are possessed with a yearning of not wanting to leave a world you have not lived in. The island of Adan is not a spectacle to the protagonist: it is a home. The emotion of wanting to go home, when you are home, has begun its return.
Windswept Adan is a good introduction to Japanese alternative folk music for those who are interested in the genre. Ichiko Aoba is similar to the likes of Lamp, so if you are a fan of Lamp, Aoba’s discovery would be something that you’ll enjoy and vice versa. Since the release of Windswept Adan, she has released three separate singles. Windswept is a hauntingly esoteric musical experience, a talent Ichiko Aoba possesses.
Final rating: 4 ½ shields.
