Do you know what happens when you ask Adam for one album?

You get half the fucking label's catalog. Or a third, whatever.

So in getting the rather swell 2003 debut from soon-to-be prog-screamo pioneers (and recent Equal Vision signees) the Fall Of Troy, I also received a small handful of somewhat forgettable and/or boring discs courtesy of Lujo Records. But this one, despite its initially perturbing cover and ridiculously obnoxious song titles, stuck out for sure.

While I'm sure I expected a Minus The Bear-type thing going on after glancing over the track listing, Illinois's Ateriavia play fairly experimental post-hardcore in the realm of mewithoutYou or the lighter, more atmospheric moments from the midsection of Since By Man's We Sing The Body Electric. The semi-frantic yelling style compliments a driven body of carefully manipulated guitars, sometimes to the point of feathery picking and at other times the drop-to-the-knees-to-play-with-the-effects-pedal-to-no-end act. The band conducts their subtle version of melody so that it's overpowered by more ethereal sound-scapes but still present nonetheless.

Regarding The Midwest: Sleeping opens with a dreamy yet pounding landscape of an instrumental in "We're Not Dutch, But We Wear These Wooden Shoes Like We're From Montana." What follows is a mercurial yet perfectly flowing set of emotions in the same vein, with a strange approach towards building and destroying an overall feel for a song. "If I'm Correct, There Should Be A Song Around Here Somewhere. Oh Yeah, Here It Is!" has neat, dual time signature changes in its first and second halves, featuring some above par octaves, frames sandwiched by interspersed yells and desperation-sounding scenes.

Though perhaps far short of a completely overwhelming experience, there's very few dull moments on Ateriavia's debut EP. Regarding The Midwest: Sleeping is both ambitious and cohesive, especially for such a young group (their ages range from 17-19), and in realizing so, it's hard to imagine where they go from here.

MP3s
This Sierra Classic Is Of A Prestigious Fleet.
Oh, You Must Have Mistaken John Elway For Someone Who Can't Throw A Vortex The Length Of Two Football Fields.
If I'm Correct, There Should Be A Song Around Here. Oh Yeah, Here It Is!