The Loudest Engine is the third studio album of London-based Australian indie rock band Howling Bells. The album was released through Cooking Vinyl on 9 September 2011 to mostly positive reviews. It was produced by Mark Stoermer and recorded at Battle Born Studios, in Las Vegas from September to October 2010.
Howling Bells began writing for The Loudest Engine more than two years preceding its release while they supported Coldplay on the Viva la Vida Tour. The band sought to capture more closely the essence of its debut album, Howling Bells, and retract from its technically inclined predecessor, Radio Wars. Vocalist and rhythm guitarist Juanita Stein was credited for writing most of the lyrical content on The Loudest Engine. The band moved on from all five record labels it was signed to and established an exclusive partnership with Cooking Vinyl. Only one single, "Into the Sky" was released from the album and it was the first Howling Bells album issued as an LP record. The Australian release and the LP release contain an extra track named "Arrows", which is a demo that was recorded in Sydney. Preceding the release of the album, Howling Bells released a non-physical EP issued via PledgeMusic, titled Invisible. The Loudest Engine appeared on both the UK Albums Chart and the Australian Albums Chart.
Howling Bells characterized The Loudest Engine as a contemporary psychedelic endeavor which was reinforced by the atmosphere of their time spent in the Mojave Desert. To support the album Howling Bells performed a number of headline shows and opened for both Elbow and The Killers. Following this period of time, bass player Brendan Picchio left the band and was subsequently replaced by Gary Daines.
Background Howling Bells wrote most of the material for The Loudest Engine, while they were on the road supporting Coldplay in May and June 2009.Thompson, Jody (17 May 2011). "Howling Bells Say the Killers' Mark Stoermer 'Became Like a Band Member'". Spinner. AOL. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011."Howling Bells past concerts". Songkick. Ian Hogarth, Pete Smith, Michelle You. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011. Note: User required to navigate numbered tabs at bottom of page. The band returned to Australia later that year and rented a house in Valla Beach to use as a rehearsal space for their new material. Although the band expressed that the album was very much a communal songwriting process with input from drummer Glenn Moule, bass guitarist Brendan Picchio, and guitarist Joel Stein, Joel's sister Juanita Stein was recognised for writing most of the song lyrics on the album. Note: Interview was removed from its host site. Alternatively, it can be downloaded from here. "The Loudest Engine" (the title track) was written about the tour bus that the band used while they toured Europe with Mercury Rev in 2008. Note: Interview was removed from its host site. Alternatively, it can be downloaded from here. Juanita referred to The Loudest Engine as a modern psychedelic record, and one that was more folk and rock than their previous two releases, but which felt like a continuation of their first record, Howling Bells.
On three separate occasions in 2006 and 2007, Howling Bells appeared as the opening support act for The Killers. They connected well with all members of the band, but especially with bassist Mark Stoermer.Von Pip, Andy (29 September 2011). "Howling Bells The Loudest Engine Special – Album, Gig and Interview". The Von Pip Musical Express. Automattic. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011. He and members of Howling Bells discovered that they shared a similar taste in books, film, and music. At the time that the band considered potential producers for the album, Stoermer proposed to Howling Bells the idea that he produce it. The band members liked the concept of a fellow musician as the acting producer, so they agreed. Note: Interview was removed from its host site. Alternatively, it can be downloaded from here. It was Stoermer's first experience as a record producer.newsdesk (14 June 2011). "The Killers today announce two very special warm-up shows at Londonʼs Scala". Music-News. Publishing Group Network. Archived from the original on 21 June 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
Howling Bells expected the album to be released in 2010, but the record label(s) that the group was previously signed to, which included the UK-based Independiente, preferred the band to write material that it did not so desire. Note: Interview was removed from its host site. Alternatively, it can be downloaded from here. This forced Howling Bells to relinquish from all five of its label partners and proceed to record without being signed to a record label. Note: Interview took place on 2 September 2011.
Production & Invisible EP Recording sessions for The Loudest Engine took place at the Killers' Battle Born Studios, in Las Vegas, from September to October 2010. The album was recorded with a Studer A820 2" 24-track reel-to-reel analogue tape machine.Howling Bells (September–December 2011). "Invisible EP – Howling Bells EP". M4V. Video footage. Loudest Engine Ltd. Las Vegas. 25 October 2011. a b 00:07, c 3:00, d 1:25, e3:23. After Joel insisted that the album be recorded to tape, Stoermer sought and acquired the recording unit. The band decided to not record anything that they could not perform live, referring to their last album Radio Wars, which was very electronically oriented. Members of the band stated that they had a lot more freedom than ever before in the studio, which is one of the reasons they chose Stoermer as a producer. They knew as a musician that he understood the importance of letting a band just play music instead of pressuring them to push their instrument or sound elsewhere. Stoermer researched autobiographies of record producers, including the book, Recording the Beatles, to use as technical reference points for recording the album.
While not recording, the band members at times ventured onto The Strip, but they also made an effort to experience Las Vegas as locals rather than merely a tourist destination. Howling Bells believed that their Las Vegas surroundings infused the spirit and the ambience of the desert and very much affected the outcome of the music. They spent time jamming on Doors and John Lennon songs, whereupon Stoermer joined them, sometimes filling in on drums. Stoermer also brought his collection of Hitchcock and cult films into the studio late at night and entertained the band with the old movies.
Photography for The Loudest Engine was by Heather Hyte, a friend of Stoermer's who spent a lot of time with Howling Bells in Las Vegas. At the end of the recording sessions, the band asked her to take pictures of them in the desert. She also did post-production work and embellished the photos with an array of psychedelic colors.Jolly, Nathan (21 September 2011). "Howling Bells: Into the Sky". The Music Network. Peer Group Media. Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2011. The album was mixed by Robert Root at Battle Born Studios, and was mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, in New York. In 2011, Howling Bells were for the first time under contract to a single record label, after they signed with the UK-based Cooking Vinyl.
Invisible EP Prior to the release of The Loudest Engine, Howling Bells released a downloadable EP issued through PledgeMusic, dubbed Invisible. It contained four audio tracks plus a short behind the scenes video of the band's recording sessions in Las Vegas.Ng, Justin (11 March 2011). "Howling Bells Announce New EP and London Show". Entertainment-Focus. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011. Two of the tracks, "Invisible" and "Arrows", were included on The Loudest Engine. The latter, a demo recorded in a house in Sydney, was included on the LP and Australian releases only."Howling Bells – The Loudest Engine". Shock Entertainment. Regency Media Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011. The two other tracks were "Midnight Cowboy" and "Crossroads", a demo recorded at GFI Studios, in Ontario, New York during the Viva la Vida Tour. Invisible was released on 9 May 2011, on the last night of a short three-date stint of the UK to promote the EP.
Singles
One single was issued from The Loudest Engine, "Into the Sky" (July 2011). Juanita wrote the lyrics herself while in Sydney, about someone close to her that she missed who was constantly travelling. The instrumentation for the single originated when Juanita created a guitar riff and played it to Picchio, at which point he composed the bass parts. Lindsay McDougall, guitarist for Frenzal Rhomb and Triple J radio presenter, noted to Juanita as he interviewed her for his radio show, that the song's bass line resembled that of "The Peter Gunn Theme". The accompanying music video was directed by Ollie Murray, and filmed at a studio in North London in July 2011.Murray, Ollie (19 July 2011). "After Effects Op". Motionographer Jobs. Poyo Studios, LLC. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
Release and reception
The Loudest Engine was first released in Australia on 9 September 2011, and in additional countries in the weeks and months that followed.. MusicBrainz. MetaBrainz Foundation. (2011). Archived from the original on 1 November 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2011. Note: To verify b, click "Howling Bells" and then "Releases" tab. It was the group's first album released as an LP after the rights were licensed to the vinyl only record label, Music on Vinyl, out of the Netherlands, which issued it as a high quality 180 gram audiophile LP."Howling Bells – The Loudest Engine (MOVLP459)". Music on Vinyl. Mark van Rixel. (2012). Archived from the original on 5 January 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012. The second week of its release, the album appeared inside the Top 30 on the UK Indie Chart, and just outside the Top 150 on the regular UK Albums Chart."2011 Top 40 Independent Albums Archive – 24th September 2011". OCC. The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.Zywietz, Tobias (24 September 2011). "Chart: CLUK Update 24.09.2011 (wk37)". Zobbel.de (originally from OCC ∞ The Official Charts Company). Tobias Zywietz. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2011. It appeared on the Australian Albums Chart, in the physical release category just inside the Top 100.Wallace, Ian (27 September 2011). . ARIA. Australian Recording Industry Association. (1126): 8. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011. Note: A free, open-source original online document for this reference does not exist. In this case, the original is from Pandora Archive and was preserved there on 30 September 2011. Chart placement represents ARIA Top 100 Physical Albums. Corresponding with the release of the album, Howling Bells played a six-city tour of the UK. They opened shows for Elbow throughout Europe in November, and following this performed headline shows in Australia in December. After the Australian tour, Picchio left the band and was later replaced by English bass guitarist Gary Daines."DGR Music Press, RTV & Concert Promotion – Howling Bells (UK)". DGR Music. (7 April 2014). Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014. The next two years Howling Bells held a sparse schedule of eight shows. They performed at the 2012 Hop Farm Festival and supported The Killers for a series of shows in February 2013.(2012). "Hop Farm Music Festival 2012". Last.fm. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.(2013). "Howling Bells". Bands in Town. CellFish Media LLC. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.