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.
βWe were never going to make a record, or start a band,β adds Wilkinson, βI 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 beβwe were just friends.β
It was rumored that Mike Patton (FantΓ΄mas, 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.
Elizabeth
Team Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's just the picture
That's how you know
If it's in focus
Then it's no fun for guys like me
These robots have it wired around here
They'll make slaves of us soon
I mean it, watch
Step away
Don't look that close
They could be anywhere
Hid up in the ballast
Down in the basement
Camped out in the bunker
If it should come back
We'll set the tracers
Break it in easy
These robots have it wired around here
These robots have it wired around here
(these robots have it wired around here)
Circuits on Babylon
Cracked up on some lawn
Chasing these scenes
Given a fever
Restless manner
Is it worth your soul?
They might leave tomorrow
They might leave tomorrow
They might leave tomorrow
They might leave tomorrow
The lyrics to Team Sleep's song "Elizabeth" start off with the lines "If it looks broken/ That's just the picture/ That's how you know/ If it's in focus/ Then it's no fun for guys like me." The lines hint at a theme of perception and reality. It suggests that the broken thing may not necessarily be bad or malfunctioning but that it is just the way it is. In contrast, something that is focused may not be as much fun because it's overly perfect, and it lacks the texture and depth of a broken reality. The song continues with some cryptic lines, "These robots have it wired around here/ They'll make slaves of us soon/ Canvas the neighborhood." The lyrics suggest the idea of the invasion of robots, and how they have already started to take control of our lives, and that we are likely to become their slaves soon. The mention of "canvas the neighborhood" adds a layer of urgency to the lyrics as if the robots are scouting and gathering data on us.
The second verse continues with the same theme but in a different tone. It basically suggests that we should be wary of our surroundings and that danger may be lurking anywhere. "Step away/ Don't look that close/ They could be anywhere/ Hid up in the ballast/ Down in the basement/ Camped out in the bunker." The lines, almost like in a horror movie, say that something is out there - something that we should be careful about - and that it is hiding in unexpected places (the ballast, basement, and bunker).
Overall, the "Elizabeth" song is cryptic and open to interpretation, but it's clear that it speaks to our anxiety about the future, and the lack of control that we might have in it. The lyrics allude to the creeping invasion of automation taking over our lives and infesting our neighborhoods, which is a universal theme that resonates with many people today.
Line by Line Meaning
If it looks broken
The appearance of something may not necessarily reflect its true state
That's just the picture
The image presented may not be a true representation of the reality
That's how you know
The picture of something might be the only way you perceive it
If it's in focus
If something is detailed and clear, it might be less enjoyable
Then it's no fun for guys like me
For some people, it is less enjoyable when something is too perfect or in order
These robots have it wired around here
There are some entities with significant control over the area which can make humans like slaves
They'll make slaves of us soon
It is possible that the entities in control will start to exploit people to work for them
Canvas the neighborhood
Investigate the area thoroughly for anything suspicious or unusual
I mean it, watch
Pay close attention to everything around for any sign of danger
Step away
Keep a safe distance from possible threats
Don't look that close
Avoid examining too closely in case it is unsafe
They could be anywhere
The threat or danger could be in any location
Hid up in the ballast
The danger may be hidden in the structure of an object
Down in the basement
The danger may be located in the basement or lower levels of a structure
Camped out in the bunker
The potential danger has secured a location for itself underground
If it should come back
In case the danger returns
We'll set the tracers
We will take precautions to track and trace the danger
Break it in easy
Approach the danger cautiously and gently
Circuits on Babylon
The complex and sophisticated technology in this location
Cracked up on some lawn
Physically damaged or in disrepair, possibly left outside
Chasing these scenes
Attempting to discover the cause or explanation for unusual events
Given a fever
Strongly affected or obsessed with finding the answer to a problem
Restless manner
Unable to find peace or relaxation in their state of mind
Is it worth your soul?
Questioning if it is worth the cost of personal safety or moral compass to chase the answer to a problem
They might leave tomorrow
The entities or potential threat may depart quickly and without warning
They might leave tomorrow
The entities or potential threat may depart quickly and without warning
They might leave tomorrow
The entities or potential threat may depart quickly and without warning
They might leave tomorrow
The entities or potential threat may depart quickly and without warning
Lyrics Β© DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Rick Verrett, Todd Wilkinson, Chino Moreno, Zach Hill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind