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.
Ligeia
Team Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
i killed a man of mine
in his Montana town
i was hunted down by hounds
hear the nighthawks cry
the voices dry and hollow
hear the crowd cheer
they cheer me to the gallows
In 1985
i was doing time alive
i made a plan to escape
and then as the lady of the lake
hear the crowd it goes
their voices dry and hollow
cant you hear them call
they cheer me to the gallows
1995
was the year i came out for trial
i listened to his song
and watched the sun make the shadows long
hear the nighthawk call
his voice is dry and hollow
hear the crowd call
they cheer me to the gallows
hear the nighthawk call
his voice is dry and hollow
hear the nighthawk call
in a voice thats hollow
The song "Ligeia" by Team Sleep tells the story of a man who has committed a crime and is being hunted down for it. The first verse takes place in 1969 and tells of how he killed someone in Montana and was pursued by hounds. The imagery of the "nighthawks cry" and "voices dry and hollow" give a sense of emptiness and loneliness. The second verse takes place in 1985, where the man is in prison and planning an escape, represented by the lady of the lake. The crowd's cheers for his execution show a society that is eager to punish those who have done wrong. Finally, in 1995, the man is on trial and hears a song that moves him. The repetition of the nighthawk's call and the voices being "dry and hollow" show that the man is still haunted by his past and the society that condemns him.
One interpretation of the song is that it speaks to how people can be defined by their past mistakes and how society can be unforgiving. The man in the song is never given a chance to redeem himself, and his past crime is all that he is known for. The repetition of the nighthawk's call may represent the idea that past mistakes never truly go away but continue to follow us. The use of specific years in each verse shows the passage of time, which may indicate that time itself cannot erase the effects of past wrongs.
Line by Line Meaning
In 1969
This song's protagonist admits to committing murder in 1969, a criminal act worth confessing only through song.
i killed a man of mine
The artist admits to killing someone he was close to or possessed some kind of emotional attachment to.
in his Montana town
The murder took place in a town in Montana, USA.
i was hunted down by hounds
The artist was pursued by law enforcement, who were determined to capture him for his crime.
hear the nighthawks cry
Nighthawks are a species of bird known for their haunting calls. Their cries may represent the artist's guilt and remorse.
the voices dry and hollow
The voices of the nighthawks, and possibly the artist himself, lack emotion and sound empty and meaningless.
hear the crowd cheer
The artist imagines the crowds cheering for his execution or punishment, possibly as an expression of his desire for absolution or atonement.
they cheer me to the gallows
The crowds are eager to see the artist be punished, possibly by hanging.
In 1985
The song jumps forward in time to 1985, another significant moment in the artist's life.
i was doing time alive
The artist is imprisoned and is struggling to cope with life behind bars.
i made a plan to escape
The artist concocts a plan to break free from prison and regain his freedom.
and then as the lady of the lake
The artist compares himself to the Lady of the Lake, a character from Arthurian legend who bestows weapons and other gifts upon those deemed worthy.
hear the crowd it goes
The crowds from before, imagined or real, make another appearance in the artist's mind.
their voices dry and hollow
Just like before, the voices of the crowd lack emotion and sound empty and meaningless.
cant you hear them call
The artist becomes increasingly fixated on the imagined or real cheers of the crowds, possibly as a way of avoiding facing his own guilt.
they cheer me to the gallows
The cheers of the crowds are becoming more sinister, embodying the artist's own guilt and desire for punishment.
1995
The song jumps forward in time again to 1995, another significant moment in the artist's life.
was the year i came out for trial
The artist went to trial for his crimes in 1995, likely carrying with him a great deal of emotional baggage.
i listened to his song
The artist heard a song, possibly one that reminded him of his crimes, and was deeply affected by it.
and watched the sun make the shadows long
The artist watched the sun set, symbolizing the passing of time and the inevitability of his own fate.
hear the nighthawk call
The haunting cries of the nighthawks return, possibly symbolizing the artist's growing sense of dread and guilt.
his voice is dry and hollow
The cries of the nighthawk, and the artist himself, echo back to the start of the song and the emptiness of the artist's own life.
in a voice thats hollow
The artist's own voice may be as empty and meaningless as the cries of the nighthawks or the cheers of the crowds.
Contributed by Isabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.