5/10

While Calvin Harris' previous album '18 Months' was record-breakingly successful, with nine of its singles making it to the top ten in the singles charts, expectations surrounding this follow-up have never been greater for any artist. With already some commercial success with the tracks 'Under Control' and 'Summer', Harris has once again invited a whole host of guest vocalists and producers for his new attempt in hoping to match a similar level of success.

But while '18 Months' was nothing but a hit-machine, which ever way you looked at it, 'Motion' doesn't seem to have the same impact you would expect. While it still follows the same formula, the inspiration for his huge EDM numbers seems lost and his signature touch forgotten as they become these anonymous dance records with no real spark of passion. The album's saving grace is the less commercial side, where we get to see what Harris really likes to make. 'Slow Acid' is an absolute gem of a track, while his collaboration with Haim, 'Pray To God', is a complementary masterstroke of electronic music and indie fused to give each side equal balance.

It may probably still be enough to keep his fanbase happy, but for those that loved his first two records, this one is so far distanced from that time, it is barely recognisable. Even so, the record is mostly forgettable and not progressive in his style at all.