If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Charlie Weinmann For their latest single, Los Angeles' SML took a live recording from The Empty Bottle in Chicago to start with. As with much of SML's releases, "Chicago Four" stretches the boundaries of what is considered jazz to the point that it could be argued that the song isn't actually jazz. It's a synth heavy soundscape that is going to push the limits of what many experimental music fans can accept. "Chicago Four" swirls around itself in a unique way, and the song ends before you're even quite sure what you just listened to. The song is three and a half minutes long, but seems to be much shorter than that, which is exceedingly rare in experimental music. Approach "Chicago Four" with an open mind, and you may just be rewarded. You can watch the video for "Chicago Four" below. How You Been is due out November 7 on International Anthem, and is available to pre-order here . For more on SML, check out the artist...

Photo by Charlie Weinmann Indie jazz supergroup SML (Anna Butterss, Jeremiah Chiu, Josh Johnson, Booker Stardrum, and Gregoru Uhlmann) are back with a new single from their upcoming follow up to last year's Small Medium Large. "Taking Out the Trash" is a much bigger scale track than anything off last year's debut. This is experimental music at its absolute finest. This is most likely not going to be for everyone, but it truly should be. It pushes the genre of jazz forward to the point that even if you don't normally appreciate the style of music, you still might end up loving "Taking out the Trash." The song ends up borrowing from virtually every style of music into a new amalgam of sound that ends up being shockingly accessible despite how experimental it all is. You owe it to yourself to give SML a shot, and to pass it on to all music lovers you know. You can watch the video for "Taking Out the Trash" below. How You Been is due out November 7...

Photo by Mikel Patrick Avery Chicago Underground Duo are set to release their first new music in eleven years, and we can hear the first song off their upcoming album. The duo of Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor just released "Click Track," an experimental jazz song with African rhythms. The group also gets the post rock tag, which you can hear in this song. Not being a jazz blog and as casual at best fans of jazz, you know when we bring you a release from that genre that it can't be a pure version. "Click Track" is an experimental jazz song that you will want, and possibly need, to dance to. If you're not the dancing type, Chicago Underground Duo is best listened to with your full attention and not as background music. There's a lot going on here that will reward your full attention. Rob Mazurek says of the gap between Chicago Underground Duo's releases: "When it feels right we do it.  We have worked together and have been friends for a long time. T...

Photo by Joyce Kim Los Angeles indie jazz supergroup SML have a new single out ahead of their upcoming album, and even if you're not a typical jazz fan, you're going to find a lot to love in "Three Over Steel." The new single starts with this odd little burst of electronic sounding noise, which isn't very typical jazz. But then the song truly in kicks after a few seconds, and it's fantastic when it does. It's an experimental take on the genre, but not so experimental that it's unlistenable. Quite the opposite, actually. You could try to put "Three Over Steel" on for a background listen, but you're slowly going to want to drop everything and fully pay attention to the track. There is a lot going on here, and the more you listen, the more you're going to enjoy the song. You can watch the video for "Three Over Steel" below. Small Medium Large is due out June 28 on International Anthem, and is available for pre-order through Ban...

Photo by Joyce Kim SML is a quintet consisting of bassist Anna Butterss, synthesist Jeremiah Chiu, saxophonist Josh Johnson, percussionist Booker Stardrum, and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann. Their latest single, "Industry," is jazz, but not the style of jazz that immediately comes to mind. "Industry" is very experimental, and reminds me of when members of Sonic Youth take forays into the genre. There are also elements of artists like Fela Kuti and Can, but if I had to write a pull quote for the album cover, I'd say it sounded like Sonic Youth jamming with Parliament/Funkadelic. If you're the type of person that has never been able to "get" jazz, give this one from SML a chance. You can listen to "Industry" below. Small Medium Large is due out June 28 on International Anthem, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on SML, check out the artist's profile on International Anthem's website . Small Medium Large by SML

Photo by Jamie Kelter Davis Prepare to have your mind blown by this new single from Damon Locks and Rob Mazurek. The Chicago based duo have crafted this new song that is truly impossible to define. Their upcoming album has been assembled to sound like a listener is switching radio stations, and "Yes!" has that feel. For lack of a better term, "Yes!" will probably get labelled hip hop, but that's not entirely right. It's more spoken word, so you'll get some Gil Scott-Heron vibes, but the music has this odd, almost industrial sound. The song plods along with one of the most intriguing beats you've ever heard. It sounds like you're sitting at a stoplight, and the music from your car mixes with the music from another car and also from a window across the street, but it sounds like this perfect melding of sounds... and then it's gone. You can watch the video for "Yes!" below. New Future City Radio is due out July 28 on International Anth...

Photo by Ariana Lebedev I loved Dos Santos's 2021 album City of Mirrors , so I'm obviously going to give any member of that band's solo work a chance. Drummer Daniel Villarreal just released a new solo single, "In/On." It's an instrumental song that fans of Dos Santos are sure to love while still becoming its own thing with a unique sound. There are elements of traditional Latin music, but I don't think I could call "In/On" purely a Latin song. Villareal also includes funk and some indie rock to create this oddly cinematic song. This is a wonderfully compelling song that has us eager to hear more of what Villarreal is up to. Daniel Villarreal describes his new song: “...  for me, the song is about how we are all IN and ON. As if we are about to start something so you walk in and turn an ON switch.  No one knows what's going to happen after that but we are all into it. We are all IN. I also think it’s a fun reference because in Spanish there i...

Photo by Jose Calvo Despite not covering a lot of Latinx music here, we've been getting more and more into Chicago's Dos Santo. Maybe it's because they're considered an alt-Latinx band, but they're music just works for us. Their latest single, "Alma Cósmica ," is a short two minute burst of a song where the only complaint is that we want more. There's a 1960's spy movie soundtrack groove under the song, over hypnotic lyrics and killer saxophone. It has an edge to it that isn't quite punk but has some of punk's roots. As someone who knows embarrassingly little Spanish, "Alma  Cósmica " is an impossible to resist track. You can watch the video for "Alma  Cósmica " below. City of Mirrors is due out October 15 on International Anthem. You can pre-order the album at the label's Bandcamp . For more on Dos Santos, check out the band's website . There is an album release/Dia de los Muertos show happening in Chicago at Ma...

Photo by Victor Duarte We don't cover a lot of world music here at If It's Too Loud..., but something about Dos Santos just works for me. The Chicago based alt-Latinx band just released a new single, "A Tu Lado," which translates to "by your side." While the song is obviously a Latinx music song, it doesn't sound like any typical Latinx music I've ever heard. It's takes a traditional Latin groove and gives it a psychedelic alt-rock edge. "A Tu Lado" is an irresistible song, even if you're not a world music fan.  Bandleader Alex Chavez says of the new song: “ We walk, march, and travel across these thresholds so that we may come to know the truth about our pasts—in the hopes of inching closer to futures that are not quite in view, of inching closer to a place being dreamed within the dream, that nonetheless exists outside the dream… And in that unbridled desire we discover the promise of these unknown paths only by walking along them...

Photo by Victor Duarte Chicago's Dos Santos are blending traditional Latinx with a more contemporary sound. Their latest single, "City of Mirrors," is grounded by an impossible to resist groove. Along with the traditional Latinx sounds, they've added a little soul and R&B in here. It's the kind of song that even if it doesn't sound like your usual thing, you truly owe it to yourself to check out. It's an endlessly compelling song that truly sucks you in, even if you're not Spanish speaking yourself. The feel of the song conveys emotion far better than lyrics ever could. Alex Chavez says of the new song: “‘City of Mirrors’ is a love song to Puerto Rico amid the aftershocks of disasters. Inspired by Gabriel García Marquez’s   100 Years of Solitude , Puerto Rico to us is like Macondo—the city of mirrors, a central character in that novel—a place of beauty and trauma, of struggle and triumph. Indeed, the Caribbean as a whole is ground zero for this dic...

Photo by Victor Duarte Chicago based alt-Latinx Dos Santos are making some of the most interesting music out there. "A Shot in the Dark" blends traditional Latin/American music with an almost futuristic sound. "A Shot in the Dark" is folk... ish? But it would also be right at home in the chill room of a rave. It's an intensely layered song that isn't quite like anything I've heard in recent memory, yet it's traditional base makes it oddly familiar but hard to describe. Since I'm having a hard time describing the song, let's let Alex Chavez do a much better job than me: “ My go-to when I’m trying to imagine melodies is Huapango music .  It’s part of how I grew up, it’s music that’s important to me .   “ Nathan and I were actually working on another song, trying to find a sound on an electric keyboard to use, and we stumbled on the beginning vocal sample. Elliott pushed us in that direction .  I’ve never sang that way in Dos Santos, but—in the ...

Photo by Richard Ross Anteloper isn't the type of music we typically bring you. They are a Chicago duo consisting of trumpet player Jaimie Branch and drummer Jason Nazary. Their latest single, "Bubble Under," combines elements of jazz, electronic music, and hip hop. It's highly experimental. This is definitely not music that people are going to be going crazy for at a dance club. However, there is something almost accessible here. Almost. Sure, some (ok, probably most) of the lengthier, more discordant trumpet solos aren't going to appeal to most people. But they are damn intriguing. Despite its laid back sound, "Bubble Under" isn't the type of jazz or atmospheric electronic music you just put on in the background and ignore.  You can listen to "Bubble Under" below. Tour Beats Vol. 1 , the upcoming EP from Anteloper, will be out July 1 on International Anthem. You can pre-order your copy via Bandcamp .  Tour Beats Vol. 1 by Anteloper