Cheval Sombre is the project of New York–based musician Christopher Porpora.

On this release he produces three tracks of hazy, effevescent beauty. On the 7" spread over both sides is 'I Sleep', a hymn of love lost recalling 'Perfect Prescription'-era Spacemen 3, but filtered through that Galaxie 500 summer-sun-space-reverb - all shimmer and throb, oscillating into the ether. The strings languidly build over a gently plucked guitar while all spreads out lazily, like sonic ripples.

On the additional CD is the full version of 'I Sleep' along with two exclusive tracks featuring very special collaborators. Sonic Boom, once of the aforementioned Spacemen 3, is on production duty for 'Strangest Thought' and the track bears his unique stamp sounding like a Delta blues broadcast from outer space, twisting & reversed in shimmering air - musical narcotics that flow and drift you right off. Britta Philips, once of Luna and currently of Dean & Britta, provides a remix of 'Troubled Mind' which creates a bleary cloudy atmosphere which is brilliantly broken and carries along with a languid bluesy swagger. Absolutely, perfectly gorgeous.

Limited edition package of numbered green vinyl 7" and CD. In full colour wraparound picture sleeve.

Sept 2008, TR012.

I Sleep (Delta Waves)
Troubled Mind (Britta Philips Mix)

Single of the week - Resident Music

The spaced out and velveteen love note ’I sleep’ is a mind frying slice of chilled out there lunar pop, a succulent somnambulant babe sparse and minimalist in texture dappled delicately by the merest of lazily woven repetitive acoustic strums set across hypno-orbiting trance like drone swirls that draw its reference points from the hazily glazed latter career work of the Spacemen 3 or perhaps a valium overdosing Jesus and Mary Chain reduced to a bare murmur, all at once softly shimmering and utterly spellbinding this pristinely ethereal wig flipping cutie is an aural high without the side effects.
‘Strangest Thought (Holy mix)’ - oh yes this has been setting our radar a jangle since it came into view - can’t better the description of the accompanying press release which simply notes ‘…a delta blues broadcast from out of space’ - they aren’t kidding, chief space cadet Sonic Boom heads up the control decks of this hymnal like backward looping transmission that despite its obviously intended hallucinogenic charms sounds to these ears like a dusty and dusky spiritual cosmic campfire jam.
Last and by no means least - in fact between you and me - the best thing he’s committed to tape to date - the seductively comatose ’troubled mind’ is a willowy snake charming gem, all lullaby twinkles and the fade of sun scorched days reclining coolly into nightly drifts, softly dusted psyche blues that imagines a laid back and casual porch lit get together between the Walker Brothers, the Velvets, Brian Jones, John Fahey and Joe Meek - smoked, disarming and utterly essential.
Losing Today


The first we've heard from a one man band from NY called Cheval Sombre, whose sound is a delicate, druggy slowcore, not all that far removed from folks like Galaxie 500 or Spacemen 3, the music soft billowy swirls, slow burning soft focus buzz, all drifting gently beneath hushed soft vocals, that are sometimes a dead ringer for the Spacemen.
As with all Trensmat 7"s, the record also includes a bonus cd-r, featuring the tracks from the 7" as well as an extra bonus track. The opener is a gorgeous lazy, late night slow crawl, soporific and cough syrupy, no drums, just long slowly unfurling ribbons of guitar and keyboard, and those sweet lullaby like vocals. The second track, produced by Spacemen 3's Sonic Boom, is an even murkier blurrier version of the opener, all the sounds muted and smeared into indistinct streaks of buzz, the vocals flipped backwards (you know how we love backwards!), the whole track woozy and off kilter, melty and psychedelic, but still dark and dizzy and dreamy.
The bonus track on the cd-r, also features a slowcore, bliss rock guest, Britta Phillips from the duo Dean & Britta (with Dean from Galaxie 500) produces, the result, another hazy, washed out soft around the edges slow folky drift, all glimmering guitar, tinkling chimes, reverbed vocals, all floating in an expanse of sweetly swirling lowercase musical murmur. So lovely.
Fans of druggy slow motion blessed out psych pop (who isn't?!?) will definitely love this.
Aquarius Records


One-man Spacemen 3 soundalike here, but that’s a good thing. Christopher Porpora gives “I Sleep” the ability to hover weightlessly, channeling Sonic Boom (who actually produces one of the tracks on the included CD-R). Beautiful stuff, sounds like it could have come from the Spectrum LP from way back when (and of which I am still in need of a copy, preferably with the color wheel attached to the front). Britta Phillips of “Jem and the Holograms” fame contributes a remix as well, but the vinyl is just one long take of “I Sleep” stretched out over two sides. There can’t be enough of this kind of music, and it takes so much thought to get it right. Cheval Sombre makes it seem as easy as breathing. For that alone, this record deserves notice.
Dusted Magazine


Quite snazzy in its own exceedingly low-key way.....promotes the stillness of Modern Love, with sure post-Spacemen 3 footing.
The Wire


The I Sleep 7” includes the track divided in two parts. “I Sleep (Alpha Waves)” has one chord with keyboards and two with acoustic guitar and pretty, soft and sleepy vocals. This is a very beautiful, exquisite track that continues on the side B as “I Sleep (Delta Waves)” in the same style but now without vocals. This is absolutely suitable to be listened to during those twilight moments. The single comes with a CD-R EP that has the full-length version of the track and two other cuts. The eight-and-a-half-minute long ”Strangest Thoughts (Holy Mix)” is a psychedelic piece made of backwards sounds mixed by Sonic Boom himself. In addition we’ve got also “Troubled Mind” produced by Britta Phillis and it has sound of rain, acoustic guitar, soft vocals and later on also some rhythm and synthesizer drone. This track even has a bit more chords, and I’m somehow remotely reminded of Syd Barrett, but also this track is very tranquil. This one is for those lazy, hazy Sunday afternoons. This single pressed on green vinyl might be a bit hard to hunt down, since all the 300 copies have been sold out already… But it’s worth the try!
Psychotropic Zone