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| Length = 56:04 (including hidden track) 49:16 (excluding hidden track) | Language = English | Label = Parlophone | Producer = | Last album = ''Blur: The Best Of'' (2000) | This album = ''Think Tank'' (2003) | Next album = ''Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur'' (2009) | Misc = }} ''Think Tank'' is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Blur, released in May 2003. Jettisoning the Britpop sound of Blur's early career as well as the lo-fi indie rock of ''Blur'' (1997), ''Think Tank'' continued the jam-based studio constructions of the group's previous album, ''13'' (1999). The album expanded on the use of sampled rhythm loops and brooding, heavy electronic sounds. There are also heavy influences from dance music, hip hop, dub, jazz, and African music, an indication of lead singer-songwriter, Damon Albarn's expanding musical interests. Recording sessions started in November 2001, taking place in London, Morocco and Devon, and finished a year later. The album's primary producer was Ben Hillier with additional production by Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), and William Orbit. At the start of the sessions, guitarist Graham Coxon had been in rehab for alcoholism. After he rejoined, relationships between him and the other members became strained. After initial recording sessions, Coxon left, leaving little of his presence on the finished album. ''Think Tank'' is a loose concept album, which Albarn has stated is about "love and politics".〔 Albarn, a pacifist, had spoken out against the invasion of Afghanistan and, after Western nations threatened to invade Iraq, took part in the widespread protests against the war. Anti-war themes are recurrent in the album as well as in associated artwork and promotional videos. After leaking onto the internet in March, ''Think Tank'' was released on 5 May 2003 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, making it Blur's fifth consecutive studio album to reach the topspot. The album was later certified Gold. ''Think Tank'' also reached the top 20 in many other countries, including Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Norway and Japan. It was their highest charting album in the United States, reaching number 56 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album produced three singles, which charted at number 5, number 18 and number 22 respectively on the UK Singles Chart. After the album was released, Blur announced a world tour with Simon Tong replacing Coxon as a guitarist. ''Think Tank'' was well-received critically, with a score of 83 on Metacritic, which equates to a tag of "Universal Acclaim". Several critics saw the album as timely, in part due to its being recorded in the Arab world where US and UK policies were unpopular. The album was nominated for Best British Album at the 2004 Brit Awards, and won the ''Q'' Album of the Year award. Since its release, ''Think Tank'' received a number of accolades listing it as one of the greatest albums of 2003 as well as the decade as a whole. ==Background== Although Blur had been associated with the Britpop movement, they had experimented with different musical styles more recently, beginning with ''Blur'' (1997) which had been influenced by Indie rock bands under the suggestion of guitarist Graham Coxon. Since the mid to late 1990's, Blur's members had been working on other projects as well as Blur: Albarn had co-created Gorillaz, a virtual band in 1998 with comic artist, Jamie Hewlett whom Albarn had met through Coxon. Gorillaz' 2001 debut was financially successful and received critical acclaim. Since composing the Blur song, ''You're So Great'', Coxon had started a solo career and as of 2001 had released three solo albums. The members differing musical interests had alienated some of the band members, with Coxon explaining, "we're all very concerned for each other and we do genuinely like each other an awful lot. Because we're into so much different stuff, it becomes daunting."〔 Nevertheless, Coxon, along with Alex James and Dave Rowntree were keen for a new album, whilst Albarn was more reluctant.〔 Blur's prior album, ''13'', had made heavy use of experimental and electronic music with the guidance of producer William Orbit. Despite the success of the album and its associated singles, the overall sound of the album had been deemed as "deliberately uncommercial" compared to their previous efforts. Despite the broader musical landscaping which Blur were engaging in, Albarn revealed in a January 2001 interview that he wanted to make a more accessible album again, stating "I'm trying to go back to the kind of songwriting aesthetic I had on (hit album) Parklife. They won't be arranged in the same way at all – they'll just be songs that are accessible to the public." He also revealed his reasoning for this approach, stating that "it's too complicated being anything other than mainstream with Blur. That's where it belongs. We still feel that the mainstream in Britain is not represented well enough by intelligent musicians."〔 After the September 11th Attacks, a series of controversial military campaigns were launched, known as the War on Terror. In November 2001, shortly after the Invasion of Afghanistan, the MTV Europe Music Awards were held in Frankfurt, where Gorillaz won an award for Best Dance Act. As Albarn and Hewlett walked onto stage to make a speech, Albarn sported a T-shirt with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament logo on it. In Albarn's speech, he said "So, fuck the music. Listen. See this symbol here, (to the t-shirt ) this the symbol for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Bombing one of the poorest countries in the world is wrong. You've got a voice and you have got to do what you can about it, alright?"〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Gorillaz – EMA's 2001 ("Best Dance" Award) )〕 In 2002, Iraq was under threat of invasion from western nations. Opposition from the public led to protests being organised by a number of organisations. Albarn, who has described himself as being anti-war, spoke out against the invasion, citing the lack of democratic process as an issue.〔 Anti-war views had been shared with Albarn's parents and grandparents. His grandfather, Edward Albarn, had died after going on a hunger strike the previous year. Albarn teamed up with Robert "3D" Del Naja of Massive Attack and various campaigns to raise awareness of the potential dangers of the UK's involvement in the war.〔 Albarn was due to speak in Hyde Park on the rally in March 2003 when a million people took to the streets of London in protest at the imminent war.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= 10 Things You Never Knew About Damon Albarn )〕 In the event, he was too emotional to deliver his speech.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Think Tank (Blur album)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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