polaroids of androids

Think Tank was Blur's seventh album released in 2003 and was the first after a four year hiatus. The album was a commercial success, while forging a new direction for the band and showcasing the amazing creative output capable by the band.

With Graham Coxon seldom appearing on the record due to band tensions, the creative direction of the album was almost entirely determined by Damon Albarn resulting in the casting off of the brit-pop shackles they had been confined to in their career up to that point and undertaking what is one of the more radical transformations in modern popular music history.

Experimentations with electronics combined with a diverse array of non-traditional instruments were the backbone of the album, with the band's pop sensibilities combining to turn what could have been an obscure abstract artwork into a modern day masterpiece.

Think Tank showed hints of what Damon Albarn would later incorporate into the Gorillaz, but at the same time forged an identity all of it's own, with only hints of the previous Blur remaining and bucket loads of a new energy combining to create a unique and elusive personality of which only glimpses of which have been seen since.

Think Tank is one of my favourite albums.