In an interview with "Pitchfork" about Danger Mouse's involvement in this album, Albarn states: "He was quite adamant that we don't do any kind of harmony and that I kept it a single voice. I thought, "Well that's great." That's how I kind of start the songs in the first place: I get a very basic arrangement and texture them. His attention to that detail was important. And it helped me write the lyrics. It cleared the way for it just having to be a single voice. He's an exceptional talent. With Brian Mouse being a kind of third party so to speak, it helps to have someone there. You want a band to work itself, but at the same time you want it to be the best that it can be. I tried it the other way, with Tony leading the tracks when I went to Lagos, and it was great but I didn't fit into that. That is why I scrapped the whole record, because I thought I should be involved at least."