Album Review
Title:  orbital period
Artist:  Bump of Chicken
Release date:  December 19, 2007
www.bumpofchicken.com/    

      Orbital Period is the soundtrack to your fifth trip into space and around the folk rock galaxy called Bump of Chicken. It’s been a long time coming, almost a three year stretch since the last album, and the time gap shows in the care and sensitivity put into each track.  Orbital Period opens with “Voyager,” a dreamy pre-launch euphoria of a first track and leads into the sudden burst of excitement that is “Karma.” A few songs in you run into a bit of studio chill time with “BELIEVE,” a track with no music, but lots of amusing conversation and some impromptu singing. 

      “Mayday,” as a single, was fast, warm and a little bittersweet.  Stuck in the middle of the album it’s equally as moving; it highlights Bump of Chicken’s rich songwriting and their ability to build instrumentals, sounds and vocals up into a crescendo of uplifting music.  The remainder of the album gets sleepy with a few unique pieces, like the cheerful “Kasabuta Butabu.”  Orbital Period is a long trip, but well worth the time with eighteen tracks that visit each planet Bump of Chicken has managed to conceive. 

Track List

 1. voyager

 2. hoshi no tori

 3. Mayday

 4. sainou hito ouenka

 5. Planetarium

 6. supernova

 7. Hammer Song to itami no tou

 8. jikuu kakurenbo

 9. kasabuta butabu

10. hana no na

11. hitorigoto

12. amedama no uta

13. hoshi no tori reprise

14. Karma

15. arrows

16. namida no furusato

17. fly by

18. BELIEVE (hidden track)