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Dean Wareham vs. Cheval Sombre Image
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Artist(s): Cheval Sombre
  • Summary: The collaboration between Dean Wareham and Cheval Sombre features covers of Western-themed songs recorded with producer Jason Quever.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Oct 26, 2018
    80
    This is a Western album where ghost towns stand silent and the stars shine bright at night, but the heroes don't so much ride off into the sunset as sink into a shimmering haze of a late-afternoon mirage.
  2. Oct 24, 2018
    79
    A dream-pop icon teaming up with a protégé on an album of western(-ish) songs is probably not a collaboration anyone was looking for, but if Dean Wareham vs. Cheval Sombre was unexpected, it also turns out to be unexpectedly satisfying. They sing well together, they picked interesting songs to interpret and they perform them in a way that is reverent without feeling too earnest.
  3. 70
    Taken as a whole, this strangely captivating cowboy-themed album is certainly not all hat and no cattle. Whilst ultimately it will probably not reach much beyond the shared bubble of Dean Wareham and Cheval Sombre’s respective fanbases, it’s certainly a curious and welcoming bubble to get stuck in.
  4. Dec 12, 2018
    65
    Both Wareham and Sombre deliver the vocal phrases like someone who recounts a deeply personal story after their inhibitions have been dissolved by a long hike. Their registers blend uncannily well and reinforce the impression that these songs transcend any personal claims to ownership.
  5. Uncut
    Oct 24, 2018
    60
    The result is akin to a John Ford film with an indie soundtrack. [Nov 2018, p.37]
  6. Q Magazine
    Oct 24, 2018
    60
    A curio, for sure, but worth saddling up for. [Dec 2018, p.114]
  7. Mojo
    Nov 19, 2018
    60
    Tremulous covers from the '60s, '70s, US Westerns and beyond. [Jan 2018, p.93]