 Under the suggestion of the band 's guitarist , Graham Coxon , the band underwent a stylistic change , becoming influenced by American indie rock bands such as Pavement and Sonic Youth . Recording took place in London as well as in Reykjavík , Iceland . Drummer Dave Rowntree described the music on the album as being more aggressive and emotional than their previous work . Producer Stephen Street claimed that lead singer @-@ songwriter Damon Albarn had started writing about more personal experiences while Coxon revealed that listening to his lyrics it was clear to him that " he 'd obviously gone off his head a bit more " . 
