Team Sleep performed a number of live shows on the United States' west coast in late 2001 and early 2002 with Todd Wilkinson, Dan Elkan (Pocket For Corduroy), Sonny Mayugba (Phallucy), Zach Hill (Hella), Rick Verrett (Tinfed) and DJ Crook handling instrumentation.
“We were never going to make a record, or start a band,” adds Wilkinson, “I was just sitting at home, playing guitar, and I started recording some stuff. It was never about trying to play shows, record in a studio, or anything of that sort. It was just bumming around. I had never been in a band, and I never wanted to be—we were just friends.”
It was rumored that Mike Patton (Fantômas, Faith No More) and Melissa Auf Der Maur (ex-Hole, ex-Smashing Pumpkins) would be involved in recording sessions. While Mike Patton did indeed contribute vocals to the track "Kool-Aid Party", this song did not make it to the album. Due to contractual obligations, any material Team Sleep releases will be through Maverick Records. Now that the album is released, it is known that only Rob Crow of San Diego based band Pinback and Mary Timony of the band Wild Flag (ex-Helium, ex-Autoclave) lend their vocals to the project along with Chino.
The only early Team Sleep recording to have been officially released was "The Passportal," an instrumental featured on the The Matrix Reloaded soundtrack. A version of "The Passportal" with lyrics and vocals by Chino Moreno has circulated on the internet under the title "Apollonia."
A full album's worth of material was finished between 2002-2003, but Moreno was reportedly angered after Team Sleep songs were circulated on the internet, mostly by the Deftones own official message board. This, coupled with the release and supporting tour for Deftones' fourth album, kept Team Sleep's recordings from being released. In 2002 there was also a Team Sleep world premiere on POWER 106 FM in Los Angeles: "Mercedes" was played once. The new album has done away with almost all of the previous tracks, only carrying over four of the originals, three of those heavily revamped.
Team Sleep's record was originally scheduled for a November, 2004 release, but Maverick Records were reportedly so impressed by the album they postponed the release until mid-2005 to allow for promotion. Chino supposedly commented that "(I) didn't know whether to be happy that they were impressed, or pissed that they didn't expect much (from Team Sleep) in the first place."
A DJ named 'C-Minus' opening at a Deftones concert at the House of Blues in West Hollywood in October, 2004 premiered the newest version of the Team Sleep song 'Cambodia' to the crowd. This song was later changed to 'Ever.' The official Team Sleep website surfaced and included an audio/video clip of the song 'Death By Plane.'
Rumors began to circulate in January 2005 that Team Sleep had broken up due to a falling out between Chino Moreno and DJ Crook. Many fans were distraught at the fact that the long-awaited project might never surface, but the rumors were later proved false.
May 10 was finally pinned down as the date that Team Sleep's self-titled debut album would be released. "The best part about it is having completion of something you've been working on, and having it done right," Moreno said in a statement. "It's fun, working with different people, everybody works differently. When I have time off from music, I want to make other music. That's what I do, that's what's fun, that's what makes me happy." ...(mtv.com)
Team Sleep has been described as "moody" and "beat-driven." More so than the Deftones, many themes and lyrics on the album are fantastical and imaginative in nature; drawing from such literary sources as Poe and historical events like the Jonestown Massacre. The completed album is less electronic in sound and much more 'alt' or 'indie' rock than when the project began.
'Ever' is considered to be the first single from Team Sleep. Notably absent from the completed album are 'Mercedes,' 'Apollonia,' 'Iceache,' 'Death by Plane,' 'Solid Gold,' 'Acoustic One,' and 'Kool-Aid Party'. However, a newer version of 'Kool-Aid Party' was released on the 'Ever (Foreign Flag)' single.
Acoustic One
Team Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
hes pained to love out
from we say
in there
all
home
is it all
all
somewhere around
feeling our bone
lay all lost and sore
and pray for all...no
and fade away
its comes....all
all I saw rise is
cruel son
somewhere
all I saw
there's to real god
couldn't bow
is all i saw
and with the...ohhh
The lyrics of Team Sleep's song "Acoustic One" are quite abstract and open to interpretation. The song starts with "somewhere oh god, he's pained to love out" which sets the mood for the rest of the track. It seems to portray a character who is struggling with something, possibly a loss or heartbreak, and is looking for solace in spirituality. The next few lines "from we say, in there, all, home" might refer to finding comfort in religion or a place of worship.
The following lines become even more obscure as they seem to describe a sense of pain and loss that is all-consuming. "Is it all, there's all this, all, somewhere around, feeling our bone, lay all lost and sore, and pray for all...no." There is a deep sense of despair in these lines, possibly indicating the failure of any form of consolation. The final lines of the song "all I saw rise is cruel son, somewhere, all I saw, there's to real god, couldn't bow, is all I saw and with the...ohhh" paint a picture of someone emotionally broken and unable to find closure or relieve their pain.
Overall, the song can be interpreted as a narrative of someone searching for answers in spirituality, but ultimately finding none. The lyrics are open to several interpretations, depending on the listener's perspective, and are thought-provoking in their ambiguity.
Line by Line Meaning
somewhere oh god
The singer is searching for a divine presence but is not sure where to find it
hes pained to love out
The singer is struggling with expressing feelings of love
from we say
It is unclear who is included in the conversation between the singer and others
in there
The location of the conversation is ambiguous
all
Despite the uncertainty, it seems that everyone involved is present
home
The conversation takes place in a familiar setting
is it all
The singer questions whether everything is as it seems
there's all this
Despite the confusion, there is a lot at stake in this conversation
all
The artist reiterates the importance of everyone being present
somewhere around
The conversation continues, but the specific location is still unclear
feeling our bone
The conversation is causing the singer physical discomfort
lay all lost and sore
The artist is feeling vulnerable and exposed
and pray for all...no
Despite the discomfort, the singer hopes for a positive outcome
and fade away
The conversation ends without a resolution
its comes....all
The singer is accepting of the lack of resolution
all I saw rise is
In retrospect, the artist realizes that everything was leading up to this moment
cruel son
The artist is feeling betrayed by a loved one
somewhere
Despite the pain, the singer is still searching for answers
all I saw
The singer reflects on the conversation and everything that led up to it
there's to real god
The artist believes that there is no higher power guiding the conversation
couldn't bow
The artist is unable to submit to a higher power
is all i saw
The artist realizes that they were unable to see the full picture at the time
and with the...ohhh
The singer finishes the thought with a vocalization of emotional pain
Contributed by Callie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
alex more
somewhere oh god
hes pained to love out
from we say
in there
all
home
is it all
there's all this
all
somewhere around
feeling our bone
lay all lost and sore
and pray for all... no
and fade away
its comes... all
all I saw rise is
cruel son
somewhere
all I saw
there's to real god
couldn't bow
is all i saw
and with the... ohhh
Nick Myers
Somewhere, oh God
He's pained to love out
From we say
In there
All
Home
Is it all
There's all this
All
Somewhere, around
Feeling our bone
Lay all lost and sore
And pray for all, no
And fade away
It's comes,
All
All I saw rise is,
Cruel Son
Somewhere
All I saw
There's to real god
Couldn't bow
Is all I saw
And with the, oh...
Ruthless legion
Chino has a way at the soul... I'm nearly 40. Very first concert 14 yrs old.. working as a stagehand... No words...
Madilynn
Perfectly said
Madilynn
I've listened to this song growing up and I still love it the same in my adult years
Daithflu19
Every time every day this feels good for some reason
Tyler McBeath
Where can I buy these bsides? Seriously Chino, for whatever reason this Team Sleep prelude to the s/t album weren't released is beyond me. They are worthy of more than hard to get bsides. They are great songwriting.
Odraleba Zerimar
It's dope cause he still has the White Pony era vocal range
91Riff
I fucking love playing this song on my guitar
Veronica Lira
❤
majin ghost
Same man
I know i'm late
Bloodofabram
Still takes me places in my mind