Album Review: Team Sleep-Self-Titled
When Deftones' vocalist Chino Moreno announced he would be forming a side band, many fans rejoiced. Chino's otherworldy voice, often compared to that of a moaning, screaming, crying, ethereal and drunk alien being has always been one of Deftones' greatest hooks, and one of the reasons the band has kept fan and critical respect alike in the midst of an industry created nu-wave boom.
Moreno reportedly promised that his new side project, Team Sleep, would be much different from Deftones- it would be beat-driven, soft, trippy, sad music in the vain of Portishead. When Team Sleep's 13-song demo leaked almost two years ago, many fans' excitement only grew. The demo revealed that Chino's earlier promises were true. The band, however, decided to go back to the drawing board, and write even MORE songs, and the CD's release was delayed accordingly.
After the band's label, Maverick (also the Deftones' label), listened and liked what they heard, the album was pushed back yet again, so it could be properly marketed.
Now that the album is finally here, does it stack up to expectations?
The album begins with the driving electronic pulse of "Ataraxia", as Chino moans "Fall to sleep/Coma Deep." At least, I think that is what he is saying. Here, one of the album's major flaws reveals itself. The vocals are so overproduced for most of the album it is nearly impossible to understand what Moreno, or co-vocalist Rob Crow are singing. It's like their vocals have been processed so many times, the machine has taken out the words. Somehow, though, for the most part, the feeling in the singing has survived, and this keeps the album alive.
After "Ataraxia" we move into "Ever", a song taken from the original demo, and revamped with a whole lot of dough. It sounds great, the gentle guitar, big beat, thick keys and bass, and of course, Chino's vocals (in one of the only songs where the majority of the lyrics can be deciphered), which pine like they've never pined before. The song has a teenage angst feeling of getting that special someone, or group of someones, and running off to a place on Earth where the past can never touch. We all know this kind of thing never really happens, but isn't it pretty to think so?
On the next track, "Your Skull is Red", Team Sleep hits it's highest point. "Your skull is red/fingernail red/your bones are red/and it feels good" Chino belts. Maybe. Once again, in this case, the words don't seem to matter. The guitar just drives the same beautiful notes into the ground, and the keys are heavy, and the drums are heaving, and somehow, Team Sleep pulls off the feeling of flat out being in wonder of something, and falling down on one's knees at the beauty of it all. It is a pinnacle the band does not reach again.
Track four, "Princeton Review", is the first to feature Rob Crow on vocals, and he peforms in an admirable Elliot Smith-like fashion, but the production eats the words right out of his mouth again, though the peaceful lilting guitar, groovy keys, and once again, big beat nearly make up for it. Also, the song goes out with a surprising amount of double bass kicks from live drummer, Zach Hill.
Next, is another reworking of a demo song "Blvd Knights" and it is equally, if not more engaging here, thanks to a trippier, more reverb heavy breakdown, and a few extra guitar hooks. Also, the live drums here display a surprising amount of a heavy metal style double-bass kick, yet again. Usually reserved for the kind of metal that makes Deftones look like Peter, Paul, and Mary (and this is not an insult to the 'Tones, they are just not that kind of band), the double bass rolls throughout this song.
Next, we have more of the same. The dark and broody guitar and sample driven instrumental "Delorian" gives way into the big beat of "Our Ride to the Rectory" another song featuring more gentle guitar, a little bit more of the live drum double bass, and more overproduced Elliot Smith-like vocals from Crow.
Afterward, we get "Liegia" from the original demo, now "Tomb of Liegia", and it is virtually unchanged, with (ex?) Helium singer Mary Timony guesting on vocals over a creepy repeating piano line, a few samples, a big beat, and aparently, bull-fighting crowd noises. It's a creepy song about a woman paying for murder, but because of a lack of variety, it gets old quickly.
Next, we get "Elizabeth" another song fronted by Crow, with gentle guitar, big beat, some live drums featuring double bass and-does it sound like I am repeating myself a lot?
Here is the Team Sleep debut's second problem:
It gets repetitious awful quick.
The songs really bleed into themselves until the album just turns into one dreary, but sometimes beautiful song. Even on the demo, the songs were sequenced and varied enough to where this did not happen. Here, they are not. But, does this mean Team Sleep's debut is a failure?
I don't think so. The band acheives a feeling worthy of its name. This is definate music to fall asleep to, it is dreamy, not quite boring, but not as exciting as it could have been. Unfortunately, there isn't anything here we haven't heard before, and the innovation of the Deftones (particularly from White Pony) seems to be only half alive.
Overall, this is quite pretty to listen to, and it certainly has its moments of aural explosion, especially the surprise denouement of the previously chill-out and percussion-less "Live from the Stage", previously titled "Natalie Portman."
For fans of Deftones' lighter songs, particularly "Teenager", "RX Queen", "Lucky You", and "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event", I would definately still recommend this, and if you heard the demo and enjoyed it, I would recommend this to you, as well. For casual Deftones fans, fans of electronic tinged music, and for everyone else, I would recommend checking out the samples at Teamsleep.com, first.
Overall, this is not a bad debut effort, just a bit overproduced, badly sequenced, and repetitious. Then again, if you like what they're doing, this probably won't bother you one bit. I just hope for their second album, they pull out a new bag of tricks.
FINAL SCORE: 7.2 out of 10
Moreno reportedly promised that his new side project, Team Sleep, would be much different from Deftones- it would be beat-driven, soft, trippy, sad music in the vain of Portishead. When Team Sleep's 13-song demo leaked almost two years ago, many fans' excitement only grew. The demo revealed that Chino's earlier promises were true. The band, however, decided to go back to the drawing board, and write even MORE songs, and the CD's release was delayed accordingly.
After the band's label, Maverick (also the Deftones' label), listened and liked what they heard, the album was pushed back yet again, so it could be properly marketed.
Now that the album is finally here, does it stack up to expectations?
The album begins with the driving electronic pulse of "Ataraxia", as Chino moans "Fall to sleep/Coma Deep." At least, I think that is what he is saying. Here, one of the album's major flaws reveals itself. The vocals are so overproduced for most of the album it is nearly impossible to understand what Moreno, or co-vocalist Rob Crow are singing. It's like their vocals have been processed so many times, the machine has taken out the words. Somehow, though, for the most part, the feeling in the singing has survived, and this keeps the album alive.
After "Ataraxia" we move into "Ever", a song taken from the original demo, and revamped with a whole lot of dough. It sounds great, the gentle guitar, big beat, thick keys and bass, and of course, Chino's vocals (in one of the only songs where the majority of the lyrics can be deciphered), which pine like they've never pined before. The song has a teenage angst feeling of getting that special someone, or group of someones, and running off to a place on Earth where the past can never touch. We all know this kind of thing never really happens, but isn't it pretty to think so?
On the next track, "Your Skull is Red", Team Sleep hits it's highest point. "Your skull is red/fingernail red/your bones are red/and it feels good" Chino belts. Maybe. Once again, in this case, the words don't seem to matter. The guitar just drives the same beautiful notes into the ground, and the keys are heavy, and the drums are heaving, and somehow, Team Sleep pulls off the feeling of flat out being in wonder of something, and falling down on one's knees at the beauty of it all. It is a pinnacle the band does not reach again.
Track four, "Princeton Review", is the first to feature Rob Crow on vocals, and he peforms in an admirable Elliot Smith-like fashion, but the production eats the words right out of his mouth again, though the peaceful lilting guitar, groovy keys, and once again, big beat nearly make up for it. Also, the song goes out with a surprising amount of double bass kicks from live drummer, Zach Hill.
Next, is another reworking of a demo song "Blvd Knights" and it is equally, if not more engaging here, thanks to a trippier, more reverb heavy breakdown, and a few extra guitar hooks. Also, the live drums here display a surprising amount of a heavy metal style double-bass kick, yet again. Usually reserved for the kind of metal that makes Deftones look like Peter, Paul, and Mary (and this is not an insult to the 'Tones, they are just not that kind of band), the double bass rolls throughout this song.
Next, we have more of the same. The dark and broody guitar and sample driven instrumental "Delorian" gives way into the big beat of "Our Ride to the Rectory" another song featuring more gentle guitar, a little bit more of the live drum double bass, and more overproduced Elliot Smith-like vocals from Crow.
Afterward, we get "Liegia" from the original demo, now "Tomb of Liegia", and it is virtually unchanged, with (ex?) Helium singer Mary Timony guesting on vocals over a creepy repeating piano line, a few samples, a big beat, and aparently, bull-fighting crowd noises. It's a creepy song about a woman paying for murder, but because of a lack of variety, it gets old quickly.
Next, we get "Elizabeth" another song fronted by Crow, with gentle guitar, big beat, some live drums featuring double bass and-does it sound like I am repeating myself a lot?
Here is the Team Sleep debut's second problem:
It gets repetitious awful quick.
The songs really bleed into themselves until the album just turns into one dreary, but sometimes beautiful song. Even on the demo, the songs were sequenced and varied enough to where this did not happen. Here, they are not. But, does this mean Team Sleep's debut is a failure?
I don't think so. The band acheives a feeling worthy of its name. This is definate music to fall asleep to, it is dreamy, not quite boring, but not as exciting as it could have been. Unfortunately, there isn't anything here we haven't heard before, and the innovation of the Deftones (particularly from White Pony) seems to be only half alive.
Overall, this is quite pretty to listen to, and it certainly has its moments of aural explosion, especially the surprise denouement of the previously chill-out and percussion-less "Live from the Stage", previously titled "Natalie Portman."
For fans of Deftones' lighter songs, particularly "Teenager", "RX Queen", "Lucky You", and "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event", I would definately still recommend this, and if you heard the demo and enjoyed it, I would recommend this to you, as well. For casual Deftones fans, fans of electronic tinged music, and for everyone else, I would recommend checking out the samples at Teamsleep.com, first.
Overall, this is not a bad debut effort, just a bit overproduced, badly sequenced, and repetitious. Then again, if you like what they're doing, this probably won't bother you one bit. I just hope for their second album, they pull out a new bag of tricks.
FINAL SCORE: 7.2 out of 10
posted by The Nicsperiment at 5:19 PM
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