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.
King Diamond
Team Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feels like this
Start from you less?
Feel to connect it
Your off to quick?
Surprise
Start
Restart
Don't stop
Restart
Duck
Restart
Don't stop
Restart
Stop
Anyway
Nothing else
Feels like this
Start too late?
We are connected
Oh
Start
Look down and sick on the floor
Restart
Don't stop
Restart
Duck
Restart
Don't stop
Stop
The lyrics of Team Sleep's "King Diamond" are open to a great deal of interpretation as they are quite abstract and disjointed. The song begins with the lines "Nothing else feels like this, start from you less? Feel to connect it. Your off to quick? Surprise." These lyrics could suggest a sense of disconnection and confusion in a relationship, with someone feeling as if they have lost the connection with their partner and are struggling to reconnect despite their partner's quick departure. The following lines, "Look down and sick on the floor, restart, don't stop," suggest a sense of feeling overwhelmed, as if someone is trying to pick themselves up and start over after a sudden emotional blow.
The chorus of the song repeats the idea that "nothing else feels like this," suggesting that the feeling of disconnection and confusion is all-consuming and overpowering. The lines "start too late? We are connected. Oh" could be interpreted as an attempt to reassure someone that despite previous setbacks or struggles, their connection is still there and worth fighting for. The repetition of the lines "restart, don't stop, restart, duck" reinforces the sense of trying to pick oneself up and start over, even in the face of adversity.
Overall, the lyrics of "King Diamond" are poetic and deeply emotive, with a sense of ambiguity that invites the listener to bring their own interpretations to the song's meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing else
There is nothing similar to what is happening right now
Feels like this
The current situation is unique and strange
Start from you less?
Is it possible to start without your participation?
Feel to connect it
Despite the lack of involvement, there is a desire to establish a connection
Your off to quick?
Are you leaving too early?
Surprise
The situation is unexpected
Start
Begin again
Look down and sick on the floor
Experiencing strong negative emotions, like nausea, while feeling defeated
Restart
Try again
Don't stop
Keep going
Duck
Dodge any obstacles that may come your way
Anyway
Even though the situation is difficult, you must continue to move forward
Start too late?
Is there a delay in beginning?
We are connected
Despite the delay, there is a sense of unity between individuals
Oh
An exclamation of understanding or realization
Stop
End the current actions or thought patterns
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ABE CUNNINGHAM, ABRAN CUNNINGHAM, CHI CHENG, CHINO MORENO, CHINO CAMILO MORENO, FRANK DELGADO, STEPHEN CARPENTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind