Bunny Ain't No Kind Of Rider (Think Tank - Blur)

Member Name: Seres

Product:	Think Tank - Blur
Date:	11/05/08 (168 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A cohesive little album with barely a poor song on't

Disadvantages: The ballads grate a little towards the end, not much for Coxon fans

When your band is fronted by the most Earnest man in the World, it obviously makes for a hard time when in the studio. Blur have always been a band who have struggled internally with the twin creative forces of singer Damon Albarn and guitarist Graham Coxon, and it was less of a surprise than it should have been when Coxon finally announced he was quitting the band so he could focus on releasing crappy music as a solo artist. More surprising was the decision by the rest of the band to continue without him and record a seventh album in Morocco. With help from William Orbit and Fatboy Slim, amongst others, the remaining three bandmembers slowly put together their new album, called 'Think Tank', and released it. And it just so happens to be easily the best album the band have ever done. Blur have always been about the singles. Modern Life Is Rubbish and Parklife - both of which are seen as the pinnacles of Britpop - turn out to be rubbish when you listen to them now. There's a lot of filler tracks and middling jam sessions littering those albums, and only a scattering of the genuinely golden pop songs which helped elevate them to the status they enjoy today as 'more creative and entertaining than Oasis'. So for Think Tank to turn out to be a superb album, with barely a duff note recorded, is a major surprise, but a welcome one.

The sound of this album is far removed from the working-class lifestyle which surrounded their previous work. Gone is Coxon, of course, and in his place Albarn gamely takes a stab at leading the band with his guitar. To this effect he is completely overshadowed by the sterling bass guitar tunes put together by Alex James and the mechanical drumming of Dave Rowntree, but it makes for a less guitar-heavy album (barring the white-noise brilliance of "Crazy Beat"). This works in the band's favour, as it gives them more focus with the music they are creating. They don't need to fit a guitar solo in each and every song, meaning they can experiment more with the style of music they play. This is immediately obvious with the opening seconds of the album, with "Ambulance" sounding less like a Blur album than something Royksopp would have put together. Packed with deep saxophone blares and shimmering production work, the song is a low-key introduction to an album which never attempts to jump out and grab the listener, instead preferring to wash over in much the style of a phosphorous cloud. There are only two points where the band feel the need to burst out of their mellow corner, on the previously-mentioned guitar spaz-out of "Crazy Beat", and the short, Clash-inspired "We've Got A File On You". For both songs, the band crack out the electric guitars and crank them up to high volumes, steamrollering the rest of the album as they go. These louder songs don't break the flow of the album however, but instead provide an amped-up contrast to the calm nature of the other songs, especially evident with the vaguely Middle-Eastern "We've Got A File On You".

The album is, quite roughly, a concept album. The general idea is that it describes modern Britain, which has moved from the pubs and clubs society that Blur previously championed and has become a dark, depressing place, where people rarely see each other in person anymore. The drug highs and lows of before have been replaced entirely by lows, and the album maintains a slow, rehabilitating style throughout, up until the morose closer "Battery In Your Leg". This also serves as a swansong for Coxon, who left after contributing the solitary guitar chord that resonates throughout, providing a stark, magnificent finale. The album isn't depressing by any means, but the tone is isolated and cold. "On My Way To The Club", "Caravan", and "Jets" all find Albarn in a bad mood, forced into the way of society of he wants to get ahead, protesting 'I just want to be, darling, with you' whilst being forced off to a nightclub. This protest at the nature of Britain is a continued theme throughout, looking at for the negative in each situation. While "Caravan" is and ever shall remain a pitch-drunk, slightly toneless tune with little appeal, "Jets" manages to run for six minutes without ever saying anything beyond the line 'jets are like comets at sunset' - presumably a reference to a drug high. However, the music, and especially James' melodies on the bass guitar - never the most graceful of instruments, but ascended to a whole other level here - suggest more than this. It is the music, ultimately, that provides the biggest draw.

"Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club", for example, is a rolling, heavy bass riff spread out around some Marrakesh Music, with Albarn conducting everyone as he goes along, providing a low energy which buzzes through the entire song, filling it with conviction that it really doesn't deserve, when you check the lyrics. The tightly-controlled rhythm sections combine to make a song that Broken Social Scene would be proud to call their own. Elsewhere the trio work with Norman Cook, elsewise known as Fatboy Slim, for "Gene By Gene", a song which works best after multiple listens. The swinging nature of the electronics that drive the song allows for a free-form pop number, which seems to be supplemented by the sound of someone bouncing on a squeaky bed. It's a high note of optimism which is hilariously crushed by the following "Battery In Your Leg". The band have always been keen to push experimenting with music, and on this album this drive takes them into the realm of ballads. Due to the coarseness of Albarn's voice, the band have always generally tried to stay away from ballads, but here they have three, two of which they knock out of the park. The song which doesn't take, "Sweet Song", happens to be far too wandering and plaintive to work, with Albarn straining to keep his vocals in line throughout and some off-balance work on a glockenspiel failing to pay off. As an attempt at a quiet, haunting song, it isn't interesting and could quite easily have been dropped. The remaining ballads - "Out Of Time" and "Good Song", are the two finest moments on the album.

Think Tank is a stunning final note from a band who survived the Britpop war and came out as the clear winners. It is completely self contained, an album which largely ignores past styles and tones and instead goes a separate route, being calmer and more serene than anything previously. And as such, the album is a clear winner, the best record Blur have ever released.

Summary: Blur's effortless swansong