About four years ago, a band by the name of Team Sleep released a demo/mix tape full of ambient, mostly slow, and very moving music. They played small club shows across America, and started gaining notoriety as Chino Moreno of Deftone’s side project. Other members include Hella drummer Zach Hill, DJ Crook, Rick Verrett on bass, and Todd Wilkinson on guitar. Pinback singer Rob Crow, DJ C-Minus, and vocalist Mary Timony also make appearances on their brand new self titled album, released on May 10th, 2005. I pre-ordered the disc via Amazon.com, and listened to the entire album numerous times a couple of days before its release through the internet. Now that I own it and still listen to it constantly, I’ve decided to be the first to review it.
There are fifteen tracks on the album, all relatively similar in style, but unique in many ways. There are slow, gloomy tracks, as well as hip-hop style beats and some songs driven by clean guitars. Deftones fans who liked songs like “Teenager”, “Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event”, and “Lucky You”, should definitely like Team Sleep. But without further adieu, I present my review of the album.
1. “Ataraxia”: Simply, this is a fantastic opener. It features a great programmed beat from DJ Crook, as well as a guest appearance by DJ C-Minus, who also helps out beat-wise. Rick plays keyboard beautifully throughout the song, and you are introduced to Chino’s mellow, yet soaring vocals for the first time. I honestly didn’t think he would sound so amazing, but he does. This is really an awesome song.
2. “Ever”: The first single from the album, and for good reason; it’s such a gorgeous song. A beautiful clean guitar line leads into another Crook beat, along with a soft piano, and stellar vocals by Chino. The chorus is great, and leads into a small sample of soothing ambience, which turns into the second verse. The song ends a little too prematurely, but still, this song is a true thing of beauty.
3. “Your Skull Is Red”: My very favorite song off of this album. A clean guitar that reminds me a little of “Minerva” by Deftones leads into an almost orchestral verse of crashing cymbals from Zach, and lingering croons from Chino. The few lyrics present are confusing, as are much of the CD’s words, but they seem to fit with the music very well. A brilliant track overall.
4. “Princeton Review”: To me, this song is very comparable to the sound of Radiohead. It introduces vocalist Rob Crow, who appears on four songs in total, and he is a welcomed addition. His soft voice carries through the live drum and DJ programmed drum beats, and soft guitar. A little bit dark towards the end, it’s a relaxing song, and keeps the flow of the CD going.
5. “Blvd. Nights”: This is another favorite of mine. It’s probably the most comparable to a Deftones style song that there is on the album. The chorus is beautiful, with ambient, effected guitars and crashing drums churning out some amazing music.
6. “Delorian”: A short instrumental track consisting of guitar, keyboard, and a beat provided by Crook. It’s a nice little interlude, and leads into the next song well.
7. “Our Ride to the Rectory”: This song features both Chino and Rob on vocals, and they mesh very well. It’s not one of my favorites, but again, it contributes well to the flow of the disc. The guitar line in the background is very beautiful, even though, like most of the guitar parts on the album, it’s quite simple. A decent song overall.
8. “Tomb of Liegia”: This is an incredibly beautiful, but very spooky song. It introduces Mary Timony’s melancholy vocals over a haunting piano line. Crook adds a slow beat that fits perfectly, and the story of a murder (I think) is sung by Mary. When I hear this song, I think of elegant, black and white photos, sometimes of ghosts. But then again, I’m a weird person.
9. “Elizabeth”: Another one sung by Rob, and another Radiohead type song in my opinion. I like the music, especially the short bursts by Crook in the middle of a slow acoustic song. That’s the beauty of this band; a DJ can fit in perfectly with soft rock type music. This is a pretty good song, overall.
10. “Staring at the Queen”: Another instrumental track done mostly by the turntables of DJ Crook. I initially thought it was Zach providing the hip hop style drum beat, but it’s all done by Crook. The beat slows down and then stops, and Todd takes the song out with a very nice set of notes on guitar.
11. “Ever Since WWI”: The CD booklet gives credit to Rob Crow for vocals, but Chino actually sings this song. It’s not too bad, but never quite picks up from start to finish. I like how it ends to Chino’s melodic moaning, evident in many TS and Deftones songs.
12. “King Diamond”: I wasn’t expecting this one. A cool sound effect leads to a hip hop beat from Crook, and Chino and Rob start trading sweetly sung lines. All of a sudden, an incredibly catchy hip hop chorus kicks in. Chino and Mary now trade lines, reminding me a lot of “Mx” by Deftones, but without the heavy guitar riffs. Another verse by Rob and Chino leads into that awesome chorus again, and the great beat runs to the end of the song.
13. “Live from the Stage”: Back to the beautiful sound of Team Sleep. This is the longest song on the album at 5:29, because of an extended, soothing intro of ambient effects and cloudy moans. Then out of nowhere, the cymbals crash and another “Minerva” type guitar line kicks in. It picks up more and more, and a second guitar plays a sweet riff in the background. There isn’t much singing by Chino, but the music speaks for itself. This is a really great song.
14. “Paris Arm”: A very short, yet beautiful track. It’s actually sung, or more accurately whispered, in French by an unnamed female vocalist. The keyboard and guitar line is what is so great about this one. It’s a nice little “right before the end” song.
15. “11/11”: The final song of the album, with both Rob and Chino on vocals. Rob softly sings the first half of the track over the usual slow, ambient Team Sleep sound, with both Chino and Rob singing the second half. A great song to relax too, but kind of a weak closer, as it ends sort of abruptly. Definitely a good song, though.
And so we have Team Sleep. I know this is kind of a long review, and I thank you if you read it all. Please, pick up this album if you are a fan of slow, relaxing music. Even if you don’t like “Teenager” but love Deftones, you might still like Team Sleep. It’s out everywhere music is sold, and as you can tell, I love it.
Favorite Tracks: “Ever”, “Your Skull Is Red”, “Blvd. Nights”, “King Diamond”, “Live From The Stage”.
