Less of a side project,
RNDM is the long-conceptualized but slow-to-materialize band of
Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament and veteran songwriter
Joseph Arthur, joined by drummer Richard Stuverud, who previously backed Ament in his
Three Fish solo project. Though the three musicians had planned their collaboration for over ten years, debut album
Acts was spawned from a fly-by-night recording marathon that churned out these 12 songs from start to finish in just four days. While the players have all been around long enough to know the nuances of both songwriting and studiocraft inside out, the shadows of their '90s Seattle roots hang over
Acts, in particular the enormous cloud of
Pearl Jam, whose influence colors some of
RNDM's strongest moments. Melancholy alt-rock radio songs like "Williamsburg" and "What You Can't Control" seem lodged sturdily in the muted earth tones of alternative rock's glory days. ~ Fred Thomas