Trying to explain Team Sleep is quite the task as there has been all kinds of misinformation available for ages, but I'll try to give you an idea of what really happened and who is involved.
Around the time of the Deftones' "White Pony" album, there were mentions in interviews of a new side-project between Chino Moreno, the Deftones' lead singer, and his friend, DJ Crook. The group, Team Sleep, was initially believed to be Chino's baby with he and Crook sharing production and songwriting duties with most of the Deftones helping out with live instrumentation, even though they weren't official members of the group. Now it appears that the group actually started as a casual team-up with Todd Wilkinson, a friend of Chino's and they had been recording together for quite a while, but nothing became overly serious until Crook joined in.
Around 2001/2002, the group, with no album to present, went on tour. The line-up consisted of Chino Moreno, Todd Wilkinson, Dan Elkan of Pocket For Corduroy, Sonny Mayugba of Phallucy, Zach Hill of way too many things to list but best known for Hella, Rick Verrett of Tinfed, Joel Tidwell, and DJ Crook. Their sets featured songs that were later recorded for the album but also included a cover of the Smashing Pumpkins' "The Aeroplane Flies High". Some bootlegs from this era show the band playing pretty loosely but nonetheless quite heavily and clearly motivated. A lot of speculation began to surface and an official Team Sleep site eventually went live.
Shortly after the tour and the site, an album's worth of Team Sleep material leaked via the Deftones' official forums. Chino was quite upset and stated that he would not release those recordings because of the leak. He was especially upset that the primary source of the leak were fans of his bands and that they made the album easy to find online. That said, the love for the recordings could not be denied as fans from the Deftones camp and non-fans were quickly stating their appreciation for the album and hoping for it's release, either as-is or in a further completed form.
Sadly, most of those recordings, at least as they were, remain unreleased and look like they will continue to be. The album that leaked is generally considered untitled but around the time of it's leak it was stated on several occasions that it would be titled "Lovers". I've decided to stick with that name for this post, especially since I think it's appropriate. There is a sexy, romantic vibe all throughout the album, one that can be scary but always engaging.
Some explanation about the album's creation would be nice to have but not much is known. First off, it's been said that the leaked album was not really an "album", but this doesn't seem accurate as the tracks had been sequenced and segues had been created for several of the tracks. The version that was leaked is definitely a finished version, as you can hear the tracks with segues begin to flow into the next song, only to have them stop completely and the following song start clean without any of the previous track. Secondly, Terry Date is assumed the producer, especially since two tracks from the unreleased album, "King Diamond" and "Liegia", were released in slightly altered form on the band's self-titled album. The versions that were released are definitely the same recordings featured on the "Lovers" album, although with additional vocals and effects in places. As for the rest of the album, "Cambodia" was re-recorded as "Ever (Foreign Flag)", a beautiful song which fleshed it out quite a bit further and "Natalie Portman" was updated into "Live From The Stage". "Mercedes" actually received a premiere on radio in 2002 and was featured in a pseudo-official mixtape by, if I'm remembering correctly, DJ Crook, but has not been released otherwise. "Apollonia", sans-vocals, was released on the soundtrack to "The Matrix Reloaded" as "The Passportal". "Death By Plane" was featured in a promotional video from the band's website leading many to believe it would be on the album, but that's as far as it got.
Participation from additional Deftones-members in Team Sleep in unclear, but it has been confirmed that the drums in "Interlude" are provided courtesy of Abe Cunningham. The track has been previously labeled "Abe vs. Crook", although that was never confirmed as an official part of the track's name. The track was created from an improv session between Abe and Crook and, while it may be one of the simplest parts of the album, it's easily one of the most hypnotic. It begs to be a bed for a radio announcement or something to be played between songs.
Other vocalists involved in the "Lovers" sessions were Mary Timony, whose contributions did make the final album, Melissa Auf Der Maur, for whom none of her work has been heard by anyone outside the band, and Mike Patton. Patton's contribution, the extremely haunting "Kool Aid Party", was set to be released as a b-side for a European single but it never happened, which is a shame because it is easily one of the best tracks Team Sleep have ever recorded. It features the sounds of waves crashing over a dark, foreboding groove as Patton steps up for vocal duties. Originally, Chino wanted Patton to write lyrics about the events at Jonestown and the aforementioned "kool-aid" party, but instead he wrote about pirates and murder, which as spooky as that is, makes it almost sexy the way he sings. In a deep croak, Patton speaks of the ship's crew and their actions upon reaching land. This should have been released, and the band knows it too, so maybe, MAYBE, someday this may see some kind of official release.
Team Sleep continues to record and have speculated that a new album will appear in 2010. Crook posts demos as their MySpace page and there will supposedly be a set of free EPs released in the near future, leading up to the actual follow-up album's completion, but as all things go with Team Sleep and the Deftones, not much is actually spoken until it finally happens, so it could be a while until the Team returns.
Team Sleep - Lovers
01 Death By Plane
02 Apollonia
03 Iceache
04 Ligeia (feat. Mary Timony)
05 Cambodia
06 King Diamond
07 Solid Gold
08 Boulevard Nights
09 Mercedes
10 Acoustic One
11 Interlude
12 Kool Aid Party (feat. Mike Patton)
13 Natalie Portman
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