Bluebird was Ikimono Gakari’s 10th single. It was released on July 9, 2008 and reached no. 3 on the Oricon Charts. In all this single has sold over 89,933+ copies, making it their highest charting and best selling single. The title track was used as the third opening theme song for the anime Naruto: Shippuden.

Tracks:
1. Bluebird
2. Natsu-iro Wakusei
3. Bluebird -Instrumental-

Review:
I’m sure that most of you know that I’m a big fan of anime so it’s no surprise that I love the theme songs, most of the time. Well Bluebird is no exception. I haven’t seen Shippuden yet because I’m waiting for it to be dubbed but I got this song a long time ago, so I figured that there’s no time like the present to review it. What made me love this song is just how overly catchy it is, similar to HANABI back in 2006. The fact that they’re a rock band means that the music is very rock oriented, that much is true. But I loved the fact that there was a strings section during the chorus as well as the occasional piano, and the harmonica, it’s rare to hear it but it sounds amazing. And the chorus, OMFG is it amazing or what? The melody is just insane and the vocals are spectacular, the shear power! One of the catchiest summer songs of 08.

Continuing with the summer rock songs is Natsu-iro Wakusei lit. Summer Colored Planet. The song begins on a great note, somewhat laid-back and soft. And as the song picks up the song still remains fairly soft, still rock sounding but very soft. It’s not nearly as aggressive as I’d like but the song is rather laid-back, relaxed, and just plain great. The only problem I have with it is that it’s not all that memorable. But on the bright side it is a very positive sounding track. Perhaps if it was a tad catchier it’d be better. For a laid-back rock song though it’s nice.

Overall Review: Bluebird was sizzling summer rock! The title track is the embodiment of summer rock, seriously it has the right amount of pizazz, energy and memorability. I personally loved the melody, it’s just inspiring and original. And the harmonica, which isn’t used much, was a delightful little surprise. And I loved how it was pretty fast paced, kept things going. The B-side was the opposite in most respects. It was mid-tempo, laid-back, and relaxed. It’s more of a day at the beach song rather than raging dance party song. Overall it’s a very enjoyable single, perfect for the summer days.

Final Grade: 94A-