REVIEW : RNDM's Acts - Stereoboard
Thursday, 22 November 2012 Written by Ben Bland
Note : 2 of 5 stars
It’s hard to know what to make of RNDM. They are not really a bona fide supergroup, but then the presence of Jeff Ament from Pearl Jam on bass is probably all they need to get a far greater than average amount of attention for this, their debut album. Musically, this is all solid meat and potatoes alt-rock. There is little of the restless creativity that has been an integral part of Ament’s main band for the last fifteen years or so, but then there is actually a rather distinct lack of... well, anything at all pretty much.
'Acts' is difficult to pin down because it lacks any definable musical personality. A record in which overlong ballads compete with tired attempts at aggression, 'Acts' is just too tame to have any sort of immediate impact on listeners. It is not an exclusively terrible record by any means. Odd tracks, such as the Dinosaur Jr (minus J Mascis’ excellent guitar work) esque 'The Disappearing Ones' and the well-developed 'What You Can’t Control', are promising but this is an album that is unfortunately more noticeable for what it lacks than what it actually has.
For instance, Joseph Arthur, the singer-songwriter fronting this project, is clearly capable enough. His songs are decent enough but they just seem completely lifeless in this environment. The guitar work is often painfully dull and the hooks occasionally sound as if they have been buried under an avalanche of wet sand. Opener 'Modern Times' is so pedestrian that it is almost hard to believe it made the record, let alone got released as the first single. Not so much bad, as deeply underwhelming, it sets the tone for a series of moments on 'Acts' that sound like they have been sucked dry of any power and meaning.
Lyrically too, RNDM fail to really connect. A song like 'Williamsburg' should have the listener sympathising with Arthur’s narration but it is so hard to care that by the end of the song it isn’t hard to completely forget what the thing was all about anyway. The one time there RNDM threaten to pack a real punch is on closer 'Cherries in the Snow'. For a split second in the middle of the song Arthur seems to have an almost alarming fire and emotion behind his words, but then it is gone, along with RNDM’s hopes of producing a record that captures their intentions.
There are so many alternative rock bands around that it is almost upsetting to think that this will get a big whack of attention just because of the names of one of its creators, but then that is how the music business sadly works. 'Acts' is really spectacularly average, to the point that it actually feels worse than it probably is. Limp and devoid of anything to set it apart from (ironically) many devotees of the early 90s American rock scene that Pearl Jam so comprehensively defined, RNDM shouldn’t be going anywhere fast with this effort.
For instance, Joseph Arthur, the singer-songwriter fronting this project, is clearly capable enough. His songs are decent enough but they just seem completely lifeless in this environment. The guitar work is often painfully dull and the hooks occasionally sound as if they have been buried under an avalanche of wet sand. Opener 'Modern Times' is so pedestrian that it is almost hard to believe it made the record, let alone got released as the first single. Not so much bad, as deeply underwhelming, it sets the tone for a series of moments on 'Acts' that sound like they have been sucked dry of any power and meaning.
Lyrically too, RNDM fail to really connect. A song like 'Williamsburg' should have the listener sympathising with Arthur’s narration but it is so hard to care that by the end of the song it isn’t hard to completely forget what the thing was all about anyway. The one time there RNDM threaten to pack a real punch is on closer 'Cherries in the Snow'. For a split second in the middle of the song Arthur seems to have an almost alarming fire and emotion behind his words, but then it is gone, along with RNDM’s hopes of producing a record that captures their intentions.
There are so many alternative rock bands around that it is almost upsetting to think that this will get a big whack of attention just because of the names of one of its creators, but then that is how the music business sadly works. 'Acts' is really spectacularly average, to the point that it actually feels worse than it probably is. Limp and devoid of anything to set it apart from (ironically) many devotees of the early 90s American rock scene that Pearl Jam so comprehensively defined, RNDM shouldn’t be going anywhere fast with this effort.
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