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.
Natalie Portman
Team Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm alright
I'm not gonna wait for you tonight
I'd rather stay alone
I'm not gonna wait for you anymore
Kept waiting too long
I'm walking away from you tonight
You actor
I'm not gonna look at you anymore
The same
Hang on
Try not to smile until you die
Patience, all the patience
I want you more than ever now
The lyrics of Team Sleep's "Natalie Portman" are open to several interpretations. At surface level, it appears to be a break-up song where the singer expresses their hurt and frustration at being kept waiting for their lover who never shows up. They are tired of playing the waiting game and have decided to walk away from the relationship. However, the theme of the song goes beyond just a failed romance.
On a deeper level, the song seems to be a commentary on the superficiality and disillusionment of Hollywood actors and their glamorous lifestyles. The title "Natalie Portman" could be seen as a reference to the actress who is idolized by many and is associated with a certain image of beauty and perfection. The chorus "Hang on, try not to smile until you die, patience, all the patience, I want you more than ever now" could be interpreted as a cynical take on the acting industry, where actors have to maintain a facade and keep smiling for the camera even when they are unhappy.
Overall, "Natalie Portman" is a melancholic and introspective song that explores themes of disillusionment, waiting, and the complexities of relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
A little hurt
I am emotionally hurting, but it's only minor.
I'm alright
Despite the hurt, I am fine.
I'm not gonna wait for you tonight
I am not going to hold out hope for you to come around tonight.
I'd rather stay alone
I would prefer to be alone than to wait for you.
I'm not gonna wait for you anymore
I'm tired of waiting for you and won't do it anymore.
Kept waiting too long
I've been waiting for you for too long.
I'm walking away from you tonight
I'm leaving you behind for good tonight.
You actor
You are an actor (not genuine).
I'm sure that
I am certain that...
I'm not gonna look at you anymore
I am done with looking at you.
The same
Nothing has changed.
Hang on
Hold on tight.
Try not to smile until you die
Don't let your guard down even in the face of death.
Patience, all the patience
I need patience, lots of it.
I want you more than ever now
Despite everything, I still want you more than ever.
Contributed by Kaitlyn T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sebastián Vilches
Little turn
Alright
I'm not gonna wait for you tonight
Live on the stage
I'm sure
I'm not gonna wait for you anymore
When you're away
It's alright
I'm walking away from you tonight
Live on the Stage
I'm sure
I'm not gonna look at you anymore
The same way
Crystal Waters
May 4th, 2020 2:04am-
Weaving my senses through supposed intuition… bringing awareness to the aromas of my experience, which fluctuate day by day..
Noticing how I presume to read incorrectly at times, through the lenses of my deepest fears…..
Hastily glossing over my own discombobulations which aid the currents towards my paranoia…
Once you see the beast within, you fantasize about the possible obscurities that reside inside of others..
Seeing the subconscious traces that are left through out the walk of life to be picked up and microanalyzed
Perhaps on the surface seeing such actions as invasion, but at the core bleeding for the breaks of silence to be understood ….
Shahrul Andeka
20 October 2021. 1.33am.
Most of the people in this comment section talked about how this song is attached to a memory of their past love or similar. But to me, this song is a lullaby to myself.
I made some pretty bad decisions in my life. Some great, some not so great. I discovered this song in late 2013 and this song has pretty much been a part of my life ever since. When life got tough on me, i would put on my headphones and listen to this song on repeat. I could never tire of this song.
The one memory that stands out to me when i play this song, was when i was in police basic training in mid 2016. I had a single bunk bed that was placed next to the window in my dormitory. There was a silver locker on my left and the window on my right. At that point of time, it was the hardest point of my life. I was homesick, the girl that i loved at that point of time abandoned me. I didnt have a smartphone to use during my time off to distract myself from the daily nonsense i got in training camp. I only had a pen and a couple of notebooks to write a daily diary in. Training was so rough, i ended up mentally and spiritually dead. But i had an old Nokia phone which i downloaded this song into it. And every night when it was Lights Out, i would play this song on my phone softly and put it under my pillow. It was the only thing that made me fall asleep peacefully.
Up to this day, whenever i play this song, the only thing i see is me on the bunk bed, the silver locker on my left and the window with the moon on the black sky. This song is personal to me. This song is a part of me. And no one can take that from me. I wish i wasn't so hard on myself sometimes. I wish i made better decisions. But life goes on. Here's to me.
Shahrul Andeka
Tomorrow's my birthday. Happy birthday dear self.
Dystopia717
@Shahrul Andeka happy early birthday
Shahrul Andeka
@Dystopia717 thank you!
myearshurt Noone
have you ever thought about becoming a writer? your story was an epitome of tragedy and beauty
Damjan Stojanovski
Kudos to you man hope you're alright. This song is personal for me as well. I also discovered it around the same time. Time flies
sweepkick
It's impossible to express in words how much I love this album.
$up3rh4ck3d
What's the name of the album? I'm literally just discovering Team Sleep, well maybe only a few weeks ago.
sweepkick
@$up3rh4ck3d self titled
$up3rh4ck3d
@sweepkick thank you, bless