January 16, 2010 9:00

Massive Attack reveal intense new album sessions with Damon Albarn

Blur man cracked the whip when duo recorded 'Heligoland'

Massive Attack have revealed how Damon Albarn made them work intense full-time sessions in his 13 studio to record two songs for the Bristol band's new album 'Heligoland'.

The follow-up to 2003's '100th Window', for 'Heligoland' band leader Robert '3D' Del Naja drafted in Albarn to work on two songs, but the Bristolian said that Albarn was initially wary of the band's famously drawn-out methods.

"He [Albarn] was like, 'I want to work with you, but I'm not getting sucked into some nine-year-long Bristol dope-haze'," he told NME.COM.

He added: "[Albarn] said] 'We'll work 10 to six, at my studio, for five days and that'll be it'. The irony was that it was him who ended up instigating all the bad behaviour!"

Adding vocals to their song 'Saturday Come Slow' and playing keyboard on 'Splitting The Atom', Albarn is just one of a series of collaborators on the album including Horace Andy, Martin Topley-Bird, TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe and Elbow's Guy Garvey.

'Heligoland' is released on February 8. The band then play a gig at London's Hammersmith Apollo on February 11.

To read the full interview with Massive Attack, make sure you pick up a copy of NME's Albums Of 2010 issue, on newsstands across the UK now.

The special issue features exclusive in-the-studio interviews with the likes of Radiohead, MGMT, MIA, Klaxons, Vampire Weekend, Empire Of The Sun, Babyshambles and much more on this year's essential albums.

Photo gallery – 50 albums you have to hear in 2010

Blog – sample the albums of 2010 with free MP3s and videos