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 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