R.M.F.C. Ecstatic Strife / Golden Trick 7″
Buz Clatworthy may have changed the meaning of his acronym and broadened the scope of his home-recording vision, but he hasn’t lost the electric charge of the early recordings that made so many of us take notice to begin with. With merely one full-length in his oeuvre, he continues to push himself creatively through singles, which feels like the smart play. He is allowed the freedom to experiment and express without really having to harken back to any trace of his beginnings of automaton-inflected, fast-paced wormy punk from his youth (okay, he’s still young, but still). “Ecstatic Strife” dips its mug into the punch bowl of what’s best about New Zealand’s ’80s jangle pop scene, with Clatworthy’s assured drumming keeping it on edge. “Golden Trick” is just that, a magical stunner that delves into something more meditative. Honestly, I’d take a whole album of something born of this strain of meditative and mature exploration. It’s gorgeous and lush and hopefully a promise of more to come.