Crooniek – Trail Of Time (Album – Wool-E-Discs)
Genre/Influences: Folk, Chanson, Fanfare, Neo-Classic, Cinematic.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Crooniek is a Belgian project set up in 2005 by accident. We can call it a wind ensemble which did many live performances and is now releasing its official debut album. Notice by the way the ensemble -or some members, already contributed to other productions like Winterstille’s album “Puinhoop”.
Content: Crooniek brings a surprising work which is mainly centered around different wind instruments although completed by guitar and bass ao. It mainly injects a totally weird but fascinating Fanfare-style which has been mixed with multiple influences. Most of the tracks are instrumentals but there are a few noticeable cuts with singers.
+ + + : Crooniek deserves a special mention for its unusual and original approach. Different wind instruments inject a true soul to the work which especially seduces me when joined with vocals. The song “Would You Wake Me In Time?” ,is a brilliant exposure of the album. I especially like the distant Sopor Aeternus-touch running through the song. Other noticeable songs are the Dutch sung “Nieuwe Dromen” and “G&K” -which was originally released for the album “Demonen & Dromen” by Olivier & Crooniek. The instrumental version of “Would You Wake Me In Time?” is another attention grabber creating a more Cinematic & Neo-Classic approach.
– – – : Realizing the best cuts are featuring vocals I regret there are no more tracks with vocals featured.
Conclusion: Crooniek is a single experience in sound deserving respect for its global approach and originality. Live this band must be a true sensation!
Best songs: “Would You Wake Me In Time?”, “Nieuwe Dromen”, “G&K”, “Would You Wake Me In Time? – Instrumental Version”, “Und Sie Tanzten – Instrumental Version”.
Rate: 7½.
Artist: www.crooniek.be
Label: www.wool-e-discs.be / www.facebook.com/woolediscs
About Crooniek
Crooniek is a Belgian wind ensemble formed in 2005. The group states on its Bandcamp page that the ensemble was put together by accident for a single occasion and had played more than 80 gigs by 2022. It usually performs as a fixed seven-piece and has also worked with singers, choirs and other ensembles including Mandolinman and Illumine. The band is connected to Kampenhout, and its releases are handled from Ghent by Wool-E Discs.
The ensemble released the album “Demonen & Dromen” in 2018 as Olivier & Crooniek. A 2020 album followed under the Winterstille name, carrying the song “Puin van Dromen”. The review above refers to that Winterstille record as “Puinhoop”; the Bandcamp listing names the song “Puin van Dromen”.
“Trail Of Time” was released by Wool-E Discs on 6 May 2022 and holds twelve tracks running about 52 minutes. It combines new songs with new versions of older material. Kevin Imbrechts features on tracks 1, 3, 4, 6 and 10, tracks 5 and 8 are performed by Olivier & Crooniek, and tracks 9 and 11 were originally performed by Winterstille.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
