A master at what he does
Charles Moothart, under the moniker of CFM, has released his third solo album, Soundtrack For An Empty Room. It’s a fun album, filled with psychedelic sounds, some rockin’ guitar and excellent vocals. Moothart is an expert at what he does. Beyond his solo work, he has also worked with many famous musicians in various instrumental roles and even is a member of Ty Segall’s band. and his impressive multi-instrumental talents shine out on this album. Soundtrack For An Empty Room will delight Moothart fans and newcomers alike, and it continues to show just how great of an artist Moothart truly is.
The album begins with “Black Cat,” a song that starts off slow before launching into a great cacophony of sound. Moothart’s vocals come in below the music, showcasing his talents on instruments. Towards the end of the song, what sounds like a synthesizer comes in, and all of the sounds and instruments meld together, creating a disorienting but perfect mesh of sound before his vocals come back in. It’s a truly psychedelic song that starts the album off perfectly. The second song is “Sequence,” which begins sounding like an extension of the last song. Much like “Black Cat,” an impressive part of this song is the way the instruments all mix together in the background. Moothart knows how to make various noises that one might not imagine working together work well, and this song is another example of that.
Some other notable songs on the album are “Greenlight,” “Crashing Through the Static” and the final song “Peace.” “Greenlight” begins with five seconds of silence, sort of setting the listener back from the more loud and rambunctious songs from the first part of the album. “Greenlight” is soft and dreamy, a truly psychedelic trip of a song. It definitely has some ’60s inspired elements to it and is arguably one of the best songs on the album due to how different it is.
“Crashing Through the Static” goes back to the loud and energetic style the majority of the album has, as it immediately launches into a fantastic guitar riff. Moothart’s vocals are great in this song, as the way he sings over the instruments exemplifies “Crashing Through the Static.”
Finally, “Peace,” isn’t exactly what the listeners might imagine a song called “Peace” would sign with. It has a more hard rock sound to it, breaking away from the psychedelic theme of the rest of the album. And the lyrics like, “don’t you see/ I’m right where you wanted me,” and “lick your lips,” give a more chaotic feeling to the song. This clashing of expectations and reality is a great way to end the album, as it shows that Moothart refuses to be put into a box, and instead will continue to be the legendary musician that he is.
Leave a Comment