Search - Team Sleep :: Team Sleep

Not Surprising, If You've Been Listening.

Andrew Estes | Maine | 06/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, it took half a decade to come out, but finally, we can all enjoy the debut effort from Team Sleep, the side project of Deftones frontman Chino Moreno. It seems like forever that we've been all waiting for this softer-side of the Deftones to be released. Aside from a little bit of touring and a spot on 2003's "Matrix: Reloaded" soundtrack, it's been a dire situation for those interested. To be honest, with all of the bumps in the road and conflicting news, I am very shocked that I am able to hold this album in my hands and listen to it. But oh, how it has been worth the wait.



If you've been following this project since it's inception -- roughly around the time the Deftones released "White Pony -- you know what to expect here. Team Sleep is, essentially, the side of the Deftones that Chino Moreno can't really express without alienating some of his fanbase. For those of you who enjoy Deftones tracks such as "Teenager," "RX Queen" or "Lucky You": Welcome. This album is for you. Team Sleep is less riff rock, and more emphasis on ambience and electronics. Hell, some of this doesn't even sound like it came from Chino at that. Aside from songs like "Ever (Foreign Flag)" and "Blvd Nights," which will appeal to all or most, this is a very unqiue and challenging experience. Comparisons to The Cure and the Smashing Pumpkins have been made, and even noted as influences, but Team Sleep manage to find their own niche. You never quite know where this album is heading, and that's a good thing.



The most important thing, aside from the fact that this album, even upon first listen, is better than the last Deftones album, is that it was worth the wait. It's definitely different, and it takes a while to sit, but those who have an open mind will be rewarded. Just be warned: This is an album that's more directed at fans of "White Pony." For those who think Chino's vocals go best with Stephen Carpenter's hypnotizing riffs (and I agree), don't go looking for the next Deftones album from Team Sleep."

I shouldn't like this album but I do

Mr John Bowers | Syndey, NSW, OZ | 06/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Typically this is the kind of album I would hate. I am an ex-metalhead turned Blue-rock, Jazz, prog-rock fan who plays guitar and thinks that just about anything electronic equals zero authenticity. OK, I dont mind a bit of electronic music here and there but I definitely don't take to it like a duck takes to water.



There was really only two reasons why I bought this album, 1. Because of Chino Moreno (like I said I used to be a total Westy Headbanger type) and 2. The album cover seemed kind of tragically cool in a sad, going nowhere kind of way (I have really got to stop making album purchases based on their cover art, totally stupid thing for an otherwise intelligent person to do).



And so I took it home and gave it a spin and sure enough I encountered music that seemed to me to be a dreary, electronic insomniac cure. But like all subtle, nuanced music that creeps up on you like a creeping death chilli dish (You know the kind of meal, at first you say, "Hey, this aint that hot" and then by the end of it your crying and sweating and screaming for yoghurt, "Somebody, anybody, get me some bloody yoghurt, I'M DYING HERE"), it started to grow on me.



Sometimes it takes a confluence of emotion, environment and music to really make a special moment and this happened for me the other day. I was passing over the Sydney Harbour Bridge on an overcast day looking out at the mist over the water, feeling as dreary inside myself as it was outside and I had Team Sleep playing on my discman and it all just came together. The perfect melancholic moment.



So I guess what I am trying to say is that if you are feeling a little sad, if you are feeling a little lonely and it is a cloudy, gloomy day, whack on some Team Sleep and surrender to the groove of melancholy until your ready to slip into something a little more cheerful. You may as well make the most out of your moodiness and make an experience of it."

Excellent.

J. Cacciola | USA | 05/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Moreno has always experimented with some strange elements in his music, and that has made him different, at least, in my eyes. Being in the mainstream of music with the Deftones, some of those elements haven't been readily accepted by fans of the nu-metal genre. Team Sleep allows him to experiment more freely with personal styles. I think that a lot of his hardcore fans have definitely understood his creativity and uniqueness that has shown through with everyone album he's made. The earlier Deftones albums are unappealing to me, but tons of nu-metal and hardcore fans love them. I'd like to count them as trial and error records and label them under that category. White Pony was really the first record that made them, 'exploring the space', so to speak. You could definitely tell that their influences from great artists like The Smiths and My Bloody Valentine were shining. But the Deftones still maintained their own unique "spacey-heavy" feel. With Team Sleep, Chino sounds like he borrowed a lot from The Smashing Pumpkins, as they have covered "The Aeroplane Flies High" at the few live shows they've done. It also sounds like he's ready to make another Deftones record, with the adding of a DJ (Crook). I still hear The Smiths, even some Radiohead, Garbage, Pinback (of course), and Failure influences on the record.



This isn't the record of the decade, but fans have been patiently waiting for it for quite some time. So, I guess they are expecting perfect execution. Well, they shouldn't be disappointed with the track listing here. "King Diamond" and "Tomb of Liegia" sound like revised versions and remixes of some older Deftones songs where Chino used female vocalists to create conversation-like pieces. I think he likes using them to link songs on the record, showing an alternate side. ("Knife Prty" is one). Another song in particular that comes to mind is "Mx" on Around the Fur. That shares a very similar resemblance to "King Diamond" in my mind, except "King Diamond" is a more mature version of it.



For this "side project", Moreno chose Zach Hill to be his drummer. Now, I'm not a master of any instrument, but if you've ever watched the man play the drums in Hella, you will realize that he's the greatest drummer on the planet. No, I'm quite serious. He's extremely versatile and shows his best on the record. Chino also had Terry Date, who has produced other Deftones record to maintain a similar sound and feel on this one, and it works well.



The singer from Pinback, Rob Crow, makes appearances on this record in addition to Mary Timony on "Tomb of Liegia" and "King Diamond". Crow is the vocalist on "Princeton Review", "Elizabeth", "11 11", and trades off with Moreno on "Our Ride to the Rectory" and "Ever Since WW1". I think that he gives the record even further diversity. Crow provides a softer and gentler side to Chino's intensity.



"Blvd Nights" was my favorite from the demos without the lyrics, and it remains my favorite because of its brilliant intro and build to the chorus. I could listen to that forever. It doesn't have the complexity of some of the others, but it's extremely accessible. The whole album is, actually. There's nothing here that can't be initially enjoyed. There's nothing here that you won't listen to time and again. The beat to "Princeton Review" is entrancing and hypnotically ethereal. The "Natalie Portman" demo has been completely changed - I won't let you know how, though. That's part of the surprise. The demo of "Mercedes" is brilliant, but isn't on here, so I assume it has been scrapped... I didn't hear anything that sounded like it.



Try to find the demos before or after you pick up the album. I think it will broaden your listening experience and give you a perspective on which direction the band decided to take with some of the early demo songs. Some are basically unchanged; some are overhauled; some aren't there. All in all, it's my favorite record this year. It makes no mistakes. It's an intelligent, immensely intriguing and deep record.



Side project: hmm... yes.

Better than A Perfect Circle? Yes.

As successful? We'll see."