Cracks is a studio album by Norwegian saxophonist Bendik Giske. It was released on 27 August 2021 through Smalltown Supersound. It received generally favorable reviews from critics. It was nominated for the 2022 Nordic Music Prize.
Contents
Background
Bendik Giske is a Norwegian saxophonist. Cracks is his second solo studio album, following Surrender (2019). It consists of five songs. He drew inspiration from José Esteban Muñoz's book Cruising Utopia. A music video was released for the song "Flutter". Cracks was released on 27 August 2021 through Smalltown Supersound.
Prior to the album's release, Giske released Cruising (Laurel Halo Remixes), which contains Laurel Halo's two remixes of the song "Cruising".
Critical reception
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Cracks received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.
Louis Pattison of Uncut stated, "using circular breathing and a rhythmic sense derived from electronic club music, Giske spins the likes of 'Cruising' and 'Void' into bold extended pieces that are gripping in their poignancy and intensity." Paul Simpson of AllMusic described the album as "an illuminating exploration of cyclical energy, both inside and outside the body." Dave Segal of Pitchfork stated, "Throughout Cracks, Giske appears to be striving for an alien, private vocabulary with an instrument saddled with 175 years of tradition and tropes." He added, "Against great odds, he succeeds."
The album was nominated for the 2022 Nordic Music Prize.
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
Bendik Giske – performance
André Bratten – performance (4), production, mixing
Joakim Haugland – production
Beau Thomas – mastering
Kim Hiorthøy – artwork