CFM
Soundtrack To An Empty Room
In The Red Records [2019]
Who: Charles Francis Moothart aka CFM releases another satisfying psych fuzz-rock LP.
Sound: Soundtrack to an Empty Room is Moothart’s most introspective and laidback album to date.
TFN Final Take: Soundtrack to an Empty Room is Charles Francis Moothart’s third solo LP as CFM. Fans of his other endeavors with Ty Segall, Mikal Cronin, and Fuzz will be more than satisfied with this album.
Where Dichotomy Desaturated was somewhat aggressive and heavy, Soundtrack is a bit more subdued. Most of the album has a mellower feel to it but is still rough around the edges. “Sequence” and “Lovely” are the outright, fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled rockers. “Black Cat,” “Street Vision,” Crashing Through the Static” “River” and “Peace” are mid-tempo stoner fuzz tracks that are a lot of fun to get lost in with their heady buzz. The middle ground on Soundtrack to an Empty Room is its strength.
The slower tracks feel more like a weakness than an asset on this album. The overlong “Greenlight” (track four) brings the entire album to a screeching halt. Just when the album recovers some momentum, “Soundtrack to an Empty Room,” at track seven, pumps the brakes again. The songs are not bad, not at all; they just slow the album pace down too much for me.
Minus some issues with pacing, Soundtrack to an Empty Room is still a worthwhile purchase for fans of Charles Francis Moothart’s work. It is more hits than misses, and warrants you’re attention and time.
– Reviewed by Daniel Taylor
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