Think Tank (album)

From Free net encyclopedia

Think Tank is the seventh studio album by British rock band Blur, released in May 2003 (see 2003 in music). It represented a major musical change for the group.

Instead of the catchy pop tunes of their early career or the alternative rock Blur made in the late 1990s, Think Tank is filled with brooding, atmospheric, heavy electronic sounds, a testament both to singer Damon Albarn's increasing interest in electronica and his control over the group's creative direction. While Think Tank received generally enthusiastic reviews (notably from Rolling Stone, Mojo, Q, and Spin magazines), a minority of critics (including the All Music Guide) didn't warm to it. It was still yet another UK # 1 and managed their highest US position (# 56) in the still-impenetrable American market.

The album was recorded after the guitarist Graham Coxon quit the band; because of this, it features almost no electric guitar in the style of Blur's earlier albums, largely relying on backing vocals and other instruments to fill the void. Coxon's absence also meant that the album was almost entirely written by Albarn. It was recorded in Morocco with Fatboy Slim contributing to two tracks; supposedly his presence as producer was a contributing factor in Graham Coxon's departure from the group. Coxon's only significant contribution to the record was a guitar line on the last track, "Battery In Your Leg". The album was nominated for Best British Album at the 2004 Brit awards, and won the Q Album of the Year award.

Like Blur's breakthrough album, Parklife, Think Tank is a loose concept album, in that its songs all deal with similar themes without a definite story arc or continuous characters. Most of the songs are concerned with a sense of paranoia and alienation in British club culture. The album is rumoured to have almost been called Darklife. This is probably helped by the secret track, "Me, White Noise", featuring "Parklife" narrator Phil Daniels; "Me, White Noise" can be found by rewinding at the start of "Ambulance".

A special edition of the album was released in a red booklet. The enhanced CD included four live videos. The artwork for the album was produced by the graffiti artist Banksy.

In 2004, the album was packaged with 1999s 13 in a limited edition box set as part of EMI's "2CD Originals" collection.

Template:Copycontrol

[edit]