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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Think Tank
by Blur


9.0

based on 26 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 65 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

MUSIC:

The Good, The Bad & The Queen: S/T

Official Artist Site

The veteran Britpop outfit's first new album in four years is the result of tumultuous recording sessions in Morocco with producer Fatboy Slim, which saw a growing dispute between co-founders Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon culminate in Coxon's departure from the band. Fatboy Slim only wound up producing two tracks, with William Orbit handling some of the others.

LABEL:	Virgin
RELEASE DATE:	06 May 2003
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Alternative, Rock, Britpop

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

E! Online

Give it a couple of spins, and you'll find it's completely mind-blowing.

100

Uncut

The sharpest, most imaginative and downright listenable album of Blur's career to date.... A grown-up alt.rock album of breathtaking potency and invention. [Album of the Month, June 2003, p.90]

100

Spin

The album shuffles and grooves like Fela Kuti sloshed on gin and tonics. [June 2003, p.100]

100

Playlouder

'Think Tank' is an extraordinary record that pushes boundaries and sets new standards.

Pitchfork

Don't just judge it as an album by a band coming off a major line-up change. You won't need to.

Nude As The News

In a way, this could be Blur's best record.

Mojo

Invigorating and intriguing, as hummable as it is inventive... it's also possibly the best thing Blur have done. [May 2003, p.88]

Dot Music

A mature and, occasionally beautiful album, possibly the finest of their career.

Stylus Magazine

True, Think Tank is flawed. There are many, many things wrong with this album.... But the record’s peaks are extraordinary.

Junkmedia

Part of the reason this record succeeds is that they haven't tried to replace Coxon, but rather rely on their remaining strengths like inventiveness and songcraft.

New Musical Express

Against the odds, 'Think Tank' is a success, a record which might not mean much to Strokes fans but which shows Blur's creative spark is undimmed even while their stomach for the pop fight fades.

PopMatters

Tank isn't simply a departure. It's also a collage of the best Blur have done.

Q Magazine

There are guitars, but they are rarely central. The beat-driven tracks veer towards the arty, white boy-with-beatbox line of Talking Heads and The Clash. [May 2003, p.96]

Rolling Stone

An album so disjointed that it seems to artfully fall apart as it plays.

Amazon.com

While Albarn still has an ear for a melody, without Coxon's guitars to subvert them, most of these songs sound like the work of a new band.

Rolling Stone

Their penchant for pillaging rock's past has vanished with Coxon, but their melodic faculties remain, and crafty tunes complement the sonic decay.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

If it is the end, Blur has gone out kicking as always.

Drawer B

Think Tank is Blur’s most cerebral, wildly experimental album, ever.

Epilogue Music

A wonderfully textured and mature album that shows they are continuing their arc of maturation and experimentation.

ShakingThrough.net

Think Tank, then, is neither the best Blur album nor the worst; rather, it's a unique creature, guaranteed to be the oddball in the band's catalogue.

Splendid

The Coxon-less Blur is a less focused Blur, but Albarn, James and Rowntree can still pull moments of sterling derision from beneath the fog.

Alternative Press

A tame but rather satisfying affair. [Aug 2003, p.105]

CultureDose.net

Think Tank is an uneven album that only those with a very open mind and a big love for the band will be able to stomach.

Entertainment Weekly

For an album called Think Tank, this muddled retread seems awfully short on ideas. [9 May 2003, p.75]

Blender

The Coxon-less Blur seem half a band, adrift in a loopy, moody head cold. [May 2003, p.115]

All Music Guide

Sure, it might be easier to accept if it was called a Damon Albarn solo album, but that's splitting hairs. A lousy album is a lousy album, no matter who gets credit.

The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 65 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Landon C. gave it a10:
Damon's genius comes through, even without Coxon. Simply amazing.

Dave S gave it a10:
Think Tank, while a little weird in that every track is completely different from the last, doesent have a bad song on it. I'll definetly be hoping for Graham to come back though.

Martin P gave it a10:
Simply a modern masterpiece

Dyon Czech Rep gave it a10:
Definitelly the best album i have ever heard!!! Can you feel it when he sings FEEL THE SUNHISNE ON YOUR FACE? or the sound of guitar in BATTERY IN YOUR LEG? who doesn't cant have a heart. Bad rewiews are out of mind

Carillon gave it a10:
I love each and every single song on this album. To all dissapointed people: just give it some time and the songs start to play in your head. It was the same with me-...and now I'm really excited each time I put it into my stereo!!

matt a gave it a9:
Blur's fourth best album (after, in order, Blur, Parklife, and 13), proves that while Coxon's guitar was a nice element in Blur's music, it is not necessarily necessary, because Damon's great songwriting is what really makes Blur tick. Diverse and highly original, this is a great album, Blur for the 21st century.

Aaron S gave it a10:
I love Blur!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Think Tank by Blur

Think Tank
by Blur