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.
Iceache
Team Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watching you
Lay
They parade her like I do
'Til you walk home
While we just sit here and wait
You know it's all wrong
That this was never a game
Record the right dream
Wave out the door
Compare to my dream
And you walk home
And we just sit here and wait
Yeah you know it's all wrong
I dont know just how much more I can take
String us along
Yeah you knew that this was never a game
I should have known you were wrong
All along
I should have known you were wrong
All along
You were wrong
All along
While you watch me watching you
The song "Iceache" by Team Sleep communicates themes of mistrust, hopelessness, and betrayal. The opening lines "You wanna watch me, watching you, lay" reveals the lack of openness between two people who are not revealing their true intentions to one another. It reinforces a cycle of mistrust between both parties, with both being invested in keeping up appearances rather than being genuine with each other.
The phrase "They parade her like I do" suggests an element of possessiveness or ownership over someone, as if one is treating their significant other like a trophy instead of a human being with emotions and feelings. The bridge of the song, "Yeah you know it's all wrong, I don't know just how much more I can take, string us along," highlights the frustration with the situation and the sense of being strung along in a relationship with no end in sight. The final line, "While you watch me watching you," brings the song's themes full circle, indicating that both parties are aware of each other's reservations and disingenuousness.
Overall, "Iceache" is a song charged with intensity and frustration, with its lyrics commenting on the repetitiveness of unhealthy romantic relationships. It sheds light on the importance of honesty, transparency, and openness in healthy partnerships.
Line by Line Meaning
You wanna watch me
The other party wants to observe the singer
Watching you
The singer in turn wants to observe the other party
Lay
Possibly referring to a physical and emotional state of the singer, potentially indicating exhaustion or submission
They parade her like I do
The other party is displaying something or someone in a way that echoes the artist's actions
'Til you walk home
The other party expects the artist to leave before they do
While we just sit here and wait
The singer and the other party are waiting for something, but it is unclear what
You know it's all wrong
The singer believes that something is not right in the situation
That this was never a game
The artist thought this situation was serious from the beginning
With you
Referring to the other party
Record the right dream
Possibly a reference to the artist wanting to remember or document something correctly
Wave out the door
Suggesting a gesture of farewell as the singer prepares to leave
Compare to my dream
The artist is comparing their initial expectations to what is actually happening
And you walk home
Repeating the previous line
And we just sit here and wait
Repeating a previous line, suggesting a sense of helplessness
Yeah you know it's all wrong
Repeating a previous line, emphasizing that the situation is not right
I dont know just how much more I can take
The artist is struggling to deal with the situation and is close to reaching a breaking point
String us along
The other party is leading the artist on or keeping them in suspense about something
Yeah you knew that this was never a game
Repeating a previous line, this time directed at the other party
I should have known you were wrong
The singer is regretting not realizing sooner that the other party was not trustworthy or sincere
All along
Emphasizing that the other party was misleading the artist for a long time
You were wrong
Directly addressing the other party, stating that they were in the wrong for their actions
Contributed by Oliver R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
bubbalynch
It does not get any better! So much emotion 🍻 fuck yeah
nfc :.
Anyone remember when these guys went on tour before they released an album?? But we all had an album 🫣
Plexor_76
Fuckin really amazing… simple but master structure
CJ Fishy
is this the only team sleep song with screaming omg im gonna cry
JM86
Amazing Song ! Thanx
Mel NOM
Génial
Micah Z
Angry tears with a cool vibe.
exoizlyfe
This song is White Pony with a sprinkle of self-titled vibes all the way
unusedsn
Great choice of pic.
JR Garza
😎