Customer Reviews

Think Tank

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I have already written about the record, I still like it overall and I think the high points far outway the low ones. For a Blur fan, it's ace.

This is basically a review of the limited edition packaging. Which if you haven't figured it out by now, isn't all that great.

It comes as a 6x6 red cloth bound book with Think Tank and a very small printing of the divers art on the front, in gold. Inside there are just pages of lyrics. No Photos, no great Banksy art, no design at all really. I liken it to the Kid A limited edition which, in my opinion, wasn't as good as the regular version either. Both regular versions (Kid A and Think Tank) have a ton more art work, bigger, brighter, and cheaper. I expected a lot more out of Think Tank's packaging, esp. with Banksy on board doing his great stencil art. I instead got a "rushed job" that was a bit more expensive. Hey, at least the music is still good.

So just a little FYI, in case you can't make up your mind about going for this edition of Think Tank, hope this helped.

One shouldn't put off 'Think Tank'after only a few listens as, with other Blur albums, it's not instantly likeable. The album takes time to grown on you and when it does, you'd appreciate the journey. I agree that the guitar department lack the creative flair of Coxon, but it's not that greatly missed. Coxon's presence would undoubtedly add an intrinsic vulnerability, tenderness and restraint to the cocky Damon-fest overload that is Think Tank, but this is an extremely enjoyable ride, nevertheless.

I am great fan of their Life(MLIR, Parklife, TGE) trilogy and the series will always have a special place in my heart. However, I enjoy this album much, much more than 'Blur' or '13', a good sign since I've only gotten the album for less than a month, and still on my journey of discovery.

The songs are varied in style, the oompah-pah-fun-fair chassis that defined the three Life albums is still evident (which is a Blur feature that i've always loved), exotic instruments adds interest, Damon's voice, which alternates between a sleepy resentful drawl and a that of a charming naughty boy's, entertains, all of which make for a great listen.

The highlights for me are :
1. Ambulance : crazy casio loops punctuated with tender lyrical moments such as "I was born out of love, It's the only way to get into this world"

2. Out of Time : this is a great example of not trying to hard. A quitely-beautiful genious of simplicity, layered with a background of haunting morrocan orchestra. At first listen it sounded plain, but after awhile it was magic.

3. Good Song: A nice easy tune that conjures images of lazy, carefree days. It's a Good Song, really.

4. Caravan: Beautiful, I expected it to go into guitar overdrive and then remembered that Graham is not in the band anymore. Which,frankly, is not that bad a thing after all.

5. Gene by Gene: Extremely catchy, happy, jumpy, can't stop singing to this. Dan Abnormal on a pogo-stick!

The only major grouse I have is the inclusion of Crazy Beat which I believe is the second single of the album. Not only does it reek of the ghost of Song2, it sounds just like Bugman, only more brainless having been stripped off Coxon's redeeming guitar riffs. But it seems that a lot of people love this track so it might be that I'm getting old.

In my opinion, Think Tank doesn't alienate early Blur fans as much as their two previous album. This, to me, is FINALLY the proper continuation to The Great Escape.

After owning this album for about eight months, I randomly came across the hidden track stowed away on this album. If you begin rewinding the CD just as 'Ambulance,' the first rack, plays, and go back 6:50 you'll find a rather strange track apparently known as 'Me White Noise.' It's a sort of strange electronic track that features Phil Edwards, who also narrated the title track of 'Parklife.' It's not really top drawer material and doesn't belong on the proper album, but it is quite a bit of fun and serves as an instant B-side.
As far as the album itself, I initially had a bit of trepidation as Graham Coxon, Blur's phenomenal ex-guitarist, left the band shortly after recording began. While his avant-garde guitar tones are indeed missed (except for 'Battery In Your Leg,' which does feature some totally eerie guitar from Mr. Coxon), Blur has still managed to put out their best album ever. There isn't a bum track on here and there are multiple highlights which basically include the first six tracks, 'Sweet Song,' and the already mentioned 'Battery In Your Leg.' Damon Albarn, the band's now sole creative master, has learned much from his stint with Gorillaz and Mali Music, and has crafted a wonderful album. While 'Blur' and '13' included heaps of experimentation, it all comes to fruition on 'Think Tank.' The best analogy I can think of is late 70's Bowie. 'Think Tank' creates many new combinations of sound with electronica, North African music, and Brit-pop meshing in a very coherent and catchy way.
I do not hesitate in calling this the best rock album of the year and I would suggest running and buying it now. While all signs point to Blur's creative downfall with 'Think Tank,' they've instead managed to create their greatest masterpiece.

And to think, I almost dismissed this album. Heck, this being my second Blur album (yes, I'm so far behind the times, I can barely see straight), I was ready to dismiss them altogether. On first listen, "Ambulance" sounded dissonant and illogically-rooted, with no discernable melody whatsoever. "Crazy Beat" was a bland attempt at gettin' some rockin' on this record, wasn't it? And "Jets" is overlong and masturbatory, right? Yet, I found I couldn't stop listening to this record. It continued to call me, beckoning me to play it... and finally, I had the answers to all my proposed questions.

No, "Ambulance" is a brilliant, confident opener of floating proportions. "Crazy Beat" is far from bland, a "holy crap! Let's go all-out!" in the middle of a rather subdued record. And "Jets," though certainly loopy and near-tiring, is perhaps one of the greatest jazz compositions in recent memory (and on a Blur album to boot). This was the album I had never properly discovered, and I was now discovering it, feeling amongst each of its rhythms for a sense of meaning, for I was to surely "disappear" amongst the folds of Damon Albarn's voice and Alex James's funk-defying bass lines.

And if "Out of Time" were any more beautiful, it'd be illegal. It truly "flows," a masterpiece of BOTH sound and melody, which is certainly a hard thing to create. "Good Song" eats the space between your ears with equal, but perhaps more longing, beauty, reverberating and repeating until your concscious mind is gone and all that is left is the music and you. "Caravan" may seem drab and boring and whatnot at first, but when those keyboards kick in halfway through... you'd better watch out, or you'll find your soul immersed in love. "We've Got a File on You" makes my tongue salivate in happiness, just to be cancelled out by the relentless groove of "Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club," cause "SURELY WE WILL DISAPPEAR."

And it all leads up to one of the greatest social distortions to ever reach my ears, "Battery in Your Leg." It seems a normal piano ballad at first. Of course, this is only a temporary feeling, as Albarn's third verse is accompanied with an onslaught of Coxon's bffermffflequaa (my personal name for it) guitar sound. If you're not careful (as in, if your mind wanders at all while listening to this song), your head will certainly explode.

And in the end, that's exactly what Think Tank is: a head-exploder. A mind-blower. And a beautiful reflection of something you've never seen, someplace you've never been, a somehow you've never questioned. A beauty, everpresent and everlonging for ears, whether disconcerned or intrigued. This is the essence. This is the album of the year.

I came to this recording via Gorillaz and I'm glad I did. I have tried to give Blur a trial listening a few times in the past but always walked away scratching my head wondering what all the hype was about. Thier music always sounded so pop-ish and superficial.

But after Demon Days I was forced to give Blur another try, this time with Think Tank. There is hardly a bad track on ithis record; the hooks are cleverly layered yet deceptively simple and the production is as good as it gets.

A nice transition for Gorillaz people, me thinks.

This is without doubt the best blur record ever. This has it all: Punk on We've got a file on You.
Electronica on Ambulance and others.
Traditional Blur on Good Song, Out of Time and others
And Jazz on the excellent track: Jets

Plus a lot more.

Everyone is making more out of the loss of Graham Coxen than I think is needed. A much bigger loss would be Damon. His voice has always been the most under-rated piece of Blur (that and Dave's Drumming) Think Tank is that transitional record with no direcetion, or should I say a few too many directions? The really great standout themes and tunes on this much anticipated disc have somewhat been undercut by the Coxen news and the obvious Fatboy Slim touches. (Crazy Beat) The different production styles, and experimentation kinda hurt an almost great record in the end.

Don't get me wrong though - I like this record a great deal. (even more after hearing the new stuff live) There are some INCREDIBLE songs on here... and some filler [], and the mandatory "push it as a single in Amercia" tune.

On the incredible side of things we have "Sweet Song." An amazing heartfelt "sweet" song that tugs on the heart strings and glides along effortlessly. There is also the incredible and incredibly short, "We've Got A File On You," which shows a bit of rockin' mayhem via London punk style. I also really dig the first UK single, "Out Of Time" and the weird angst electro-rock of, "The Moroccan People's Revolutionary Bowls Club." There are shades of classic Parklife era Blur, on tunes like "Gene By Gene" and "Battery in Your Leg" (the only Coxen number of the lot)
All of those tunes add up to a nice mix with quite a powerful punch.

But there are also some really low points too. The radio pushed "Crazy Beat" has become rather bothersome after a few weeks in. The stupid Gollum-like voice over on it is really annoying as well. Couple that with a guitar riff lifted right from Song 2, and you get the idea. Some of the experiments go a little haywire as well. "Jets" becomes very throw-away and "Ambulance" serves no other purpose but that of being the record's low key opener.

The rest of the record is a mish mash of half-baked but well produced tunes that give that all over feel that a rushed record tends to have. This was no rushed record though. Maybe just a little, over-thought.

THINK TANK'S song by song C-Dub-Ya break-down:
1. Ambulance - soft non-threatening opener, a good tune actually - 7.0
2. Out of Time - now we're talking - a great Blur single - 8.5
3. Crazy Beat - catchy at first - but soon an annoying Song 2 - 6.0
4. Good Song - actually an OK song, not too good, not too bad - 7.0
5. On the Way To The Club - should've been a great b-side - 6.5
6. Brothers and Sisters - a bit like Tender, just not as good - 6.5
7. Caravan - a little forgettable, but not terrible - 6.0
8. We've Got A File On You - awesome, too short though - 8.5
9. Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club - cool & strange - 7.5
10. Sweet Song - best thing on the album, a beauty - 9.0
11. Jets - mostly electronic filler - 6.0
12. Gene By Gene - a quirky, Blur like song, good stuff - 7.5
13. Battery in Your Leg - another high mark for departed Graham - 8.0

This is a phenomenon in the Blur catalog. Very different than their previous albums and minus lead guitarist Graham Coxon Think Tank is ethereal and beautiful.

Very reminiscent in spirit to the experimental phase of David Bowie (Low/"Heroes") Think Tank has a very loose and adventurous style to it. I'm not saying that he is imitating those albums just that there is a real sense of exploration in it. Not only does the album feel more adventuresome but the music feels more honest and bare than from previous efforts.

Personal favorites include the epic Ambulance, Good Song and Battery In The Leg. The latter includes Coxon before he left the band. The only song I can do without is generic punkish "We've Got A File On You" which fortunately runs in at barely over a minute.

Albarn said in an interview that he felt like this was Blur's first true album. I can see why. His adoration of Ray Davies (Kinks) was always very clear in his song writing. Although it never felt like a total parody it always seemed like he took too much from that kitchen. Blur was definitely showing signs of breaking away with the menacing 13; Think Tank comes off like its stranger cousin. Although it doesn't have as sharp of a hit single like Tender (Crazy Beat was the single, which is catchy) Think Tank has kept my attention more than their previous beloved records because it seems like there is more substance in it because of its personal nature.

(The five stars are primarily based on the music that was released when Think Tank came out. On the grand scale of things I would give it 4 star rating.)

Along with Joe Henry's "Fuse," this is one of the coolest albums made in the past twenty years. While so many other big-market bands just keep trying to give the people what they want and taking it to the bank, Blur remains as restless as it is engaging. Of all the artistic twists and turns this band has dealt its fans over the years, this is probably the most successful of them all: a darkening forest of sound brimming with suspense and intrigue; an inviting sonic wasteland. The astonishing "Ambulance" manages to go in five directions at once while somehow staying focused, from its raunchy horn section to its sultry drum beats and keyboards. "13" and the band's eponymous 1997 album suggested even more ambitious aesthetical horizons, but hardly anyone could have foreseen such a dramatic change of paths as the one "Think Tank" paves. Even the band's own label misses the point, billing the generic "Crazy Beat" as the album's single. The rest of the record so thoroughly reinvents the band that the merely bellicose "Crazy Beat" sounds like a stale echo of long-gone days. The irresistible grooves of "Brothers and Sisters," "On the Way to the Club" and "Jets" are so organic as to anticipate the sound of music centuries from now. This is that doomed art: a brilliance so radiant as to go unrecognized in its own time, waiting for rumors of its legend to swarm to ears of later generations.

First of all,I'd like to say that I was never a really big fan of Blur. I was really into Gorillaz, in which Damon Albarn is in, and I thought I'd explore some of his earlier work. I ended up loving a lot of Blur's songs. But they stopped coming out with cd's, so I stopped listening to them. Well let me just say that they did a great job with this one, their last, without Mr. Cox, and with Damon on guitar. Great job guys. Well, here's my review. I hope it helps.
Ambulance-(9/10)- A nice opening song with a good rhythm.
Out of time(8/10)-A soothing song with a nice beat.
Crazy Beat-(8-10)-Another great song, with a punky edge.
Good Song(10/10)-It's exactaly what the title says it is.
On the way to the Club-(7/10)-A nice sound, but a bit too slow paced.
Brothers and Sisters(8/10)-Powerful lyrics. It relates to our world at it's current state.
Caravan(7/10)-A nice beat, but a bit slow.
We've got a file on you-(6/10)-A song with almost no lyrics but a catchy phrase.
Morrocan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club-(A song with a great beat that just doesn't let you down. Great guitar solo.
Sweet song(8/10)-A song with smooth lyrics which soothe you.
Jets(8/10)-A nice song to listen to in the car, because of its length.
Gene by Gene-(9/10)- A song with a very catchy toon.
Battery in Your Leg-(9/10)-A nice song to end it all.

I hope this helps you make your decision.Blur really is a great band, and the album is really worth it. Thanks for your time.