 Recording sessions for the album started in June 1996 at Mayfair studios in London . After the initial sessions , the band left to record the rest of the album in Reykjavík , Iceland , away from the Britpop scene . It was in Iceland that the vocals to " Strange News from Another Star " , " Essex Dogs " , " Beetlebum " , and " On Your Own " were recorded . " We just recorded some vocals there , " Albarn revealed in an Addicted To Noise interview . " I have a house there and it 's the perfect place to write because of the light [ The sun doesn 't rise until midday ] . Not good during the summer because it 's sunshine all the time , 24 hours a day . " 
