At one point, selah.selah was a proper four-piece outfit, but has seemed to devolve into the solo vehicle for one Nick Curran, who now sings and plays everything. While I'm not sure who the personnel was for this EP, Hollow Earth, released about a year ago, I do know it's a solid five-song effort that lays the groundwork for Curran to release something with a really aching and atmospheric glance.

Hollow Earth finds tasteful hints of Bright Eyes and Wilco influence filtered through a raw, youthful naivete. But Curran's influence list really reads like a who's who of indie rock/pop, classic folk/country and post-punk acts; the last of these indelibly marks Curran's sound with a droning, hapless feel.

The opening title track bustles carefully with programmed beats very subtly scattered through an otherwise guitar-heavy atmosphere. It's somewhat dark, but not too grueling. You can tell the bands and styles that probably influenced Curran, but nothing sticks out too heavily (besides, maybe, a slightly Conor Oberst-esque waver to his voice), which means there's a vague sort of originality at hand.

The hooks aren't quite all there--though certainly trying in "Earth Changes" and "Friday February 13th"--and the general feel is a little too murky, but there's something rather promising about this EP. The flow amid each song is impeccable and the moods are mildly downtrodden in a very careful way.

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Hollow Earth EP