You wait ages for a new composition from gothic electro wonderkid Ally Morton and then two turn up at the same time under different identities.  Bloody typical. 

Yet as close as Morton’s pieces are in timing proximity, they’re miles apart sonically; the recent debut from his new collective (‘Not Myself’) taking us into his usual dark, cinematic, territory and this one from Massa sounding, well, sounding quiet happy. 

As surprising as the time Corgan put the Pumpkins to one side and smiled all the way through Zwan, Validation finds Morton at potentially his poppiest and most optimistic yet.  Which is not to say that Validation is a tune for the pop kids, but it is to say that if you’ve ever heard Massa then, by their standards, and ignoring the lyrics about mindless likes and a demand for more, this is the sound of them positively glowing and surrounding themselves in major key guitar arpeggios and lighter than usual vocals lines.

Massa Confusa sounding happy; whatever next?