By Kelsey Klosterman
Staff Writer
Sometimes you need music to dance to and sometimes you need music to blast while you’re driving to the beach.
The songs on Calvin Harris’ newest album, Motion, provide both, so get ready for anything.
Released on Halloween, Motion is Harris’ fourth studio album. It includes 15 new tracks, a few of which you’ve probably heard before. The album features 12 guest artists, including Ellie Goulding, Big Sean and Gwen Stefani. Singles on Motion include “Under Control” featuring Alesso and Hurts, “Blame” featuring John Newman, “Outside” with Goulding and the all too famous track “Summer,” which has been blasting from radios ever since March.
The voices overlaid onto Harris’ synths work perfectly. His tracks have a steady rhythm and pulsing instrumentals, and featuring powerful vocalists such as the band All About She ties every song together.
Harris truly has a talent for pulling different sounds together and finding just the right vocalist to polish the song.
There’s always been something about Harris’ music that captivates his listeners. His electro-house style starts out tame and builds up until it’s impossible not to dance, and with the addition of new, complex instrumentals meshed with his usual electronic beats, Motion thrives.
There’s even a surprise addition of violins blended into the song “Love Now” that provide a satisfying twist.
One of Harris’ signature moves is finding quality vocalists to sing over his tracks and, with 12 of the tracks on Motion featuring other artists, Harris is up to the same old tricks, because they work.
Everyone already knows that Harris and Goulding work well together and with the release of “Outside,” it’s obvious why.
The rhythm of this song is reminiscent of the chart-topping single “Summer” and, with Goulding’s compelling vocals, it’s impossible not to love. A surprise favorite of mine was a slow song distant from Harris’ usual genre: “Ecstasy,” featuring Hurts.
All traces of electronic-style beats are gone, replaced with a soft, unassuming rhythm accompanied by Hurts’ gentle vocals. It’s very different from Harris’ typical releases, but it works.
Despite all of the brilliant tracks Harris has released, though, few albums can be perfect.
I wasn’t a fan of “Slow Acid,” a track which has no accompanying artist and is purely a Harris creation. There’s something about this instrumental song that feels like a remix of “Macarena,” which is something I never thought I would experience.
I also couldn’t bring myself to enjoy “It Was You,” featuring Firebeatz and “Overdrive,” featuring Ummet Ozcan, which both set a very different mood than the rest of the album.
These tracks, while definitely showing merit, feel a bit too heavy in comparison to their surrounding songs.
Once they drop, they border on straight dubstep, which no other songs on the album do — they just feel out of place.
While Harris’ album has the same professional polish as usual, that also might be the problem — Motion doesn’t feel too different from previous releases.
If you like Harris’ work, then you’re in for a treat: you’re getting a lot more of the same stuff!
But if you’re looking for something a bit different, you may not be getting what you want with this album. Either way, make sure to give Motion a try to see if it works for you — it’s definitely worth the listen.
By Kelsey Klosterman, Staff Writer
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
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