Massive Attack Discuss Damon Albarn Collaboration

Posted on Jan 26th 2010 5:21AM by Farah Ishaq
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Massive Attack's Robert '3D' Del Naja and Grant 'Daddy G' Marshall have started revealing more about anticipated fifth album 'Heligoland' which is due for release on Feb. 8 -- and its array of guest stars.

The album, the Bristol pair's first record in six years, features Blur's Damon Albarn singing on track 'Saturday Come Slow' and also playing keyboard on first released EP, 'Splitting The Atom.'

Del Naja has told 6 Music that Albarn was playfully cynical at the start of their work together, saying, "Damon had said to us, 'I'm only going to do this if I don't get dragged into a Bristol time-warp for two years, I'm only going to work on major chords, no minor chords, and we're going to work from 10 until 4 in the afternoon.'"

He also described working with Albarn as intense. "Every time he applies himself to something you know that the soul and meaning he puts into it will define how great it always is. It's never just a casual dalliance with something, it's something he believes in, so getting him to concentrate on us for a period of time was really spectacular."

The follow-up to 2006's '100th Window' album also features friend and collaborator Horace Andy who also sings on the 'Splitting The Atom' EP as well as album track 'Girl I Love You' -- the latter is currently available as a free download from the band's website.

Other guest artists on 'Heligoland' include Elbow's Guy Garvey, Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval, Martina Topley-Bird, TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe and Portishead's Adrian Utley.

Massive Attack will play a trio of gigs the week of the album release; at the Newport Centre, Wales on Feb. 8, the Dome, Brighton on Feb. 9 and London's Hammersmith Apollo on Feb. 11.

The 'Heglioland' tracklist is:

'Pray For Rain'
'Babel'
'Splitting the Atom'
'Girl I Love You'
'Psyche'
'Flat of the Blade'
'Paradise Circus'
'Rush Minute'
'Saturday Comes Slow'
'Atlas Air'