Team Sleep (Self Titled)
Jeremy Houghtaling

Deftones front man Chino Moreno has done it again, this time at the helm of his new side project Team Sleep. The album, once described as “make-out music” by Chino finally makes its way onto shelves after four years frustration. What was once a completed project in 2002 turned into scrap after the album leaked to the internet, much to the dismay of Moreno himself. Fast forward to 2004, the completely redone project is ready but is postponed numerous times thanks to record label Mavericks genius’ in marketing.

Team Sleep comes at you from so many angles you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Heavy, melodic, beat driven, ambient, eerie can all be used to describe what is easily one of, so far, the best and most unique albums of 2005. Although ‘Ever (Foreign Flag)’ is the first single off the album and sounds like a beautifully done lullaby, there are no tracks that stand above the others in this masterpiece. Tracks like ‘Your Skull is Red’ which open with waves crashing and bells tolling in the background, turn into a rampage of guitars and what can only be described as beautiful destruction. Rob Crow of Pinback fame graces us with his James Iha-esque vocals on four separate tracks, all of which compliment his vocal style by staying soft, acoustic and melancholy. ‘Live from the Stage’ turns from one of the most hauntingly sad tracks on the album to one of the hardest most driven tracks on the album. A couple tracks ‘Ataraxia’ and ‘Our Ride to the Rectory’ come off bouncy thanks to Crook’s DJ skills that make you want to dance and clap right along with the song as you listen.

The albums only real downfall, if you want to call it that, are the two tracks (which is two too many) in which Mary Timony lends a helping hand. Her vocal skills and range are no match for Chino, who should have handled the duties on the tracks solely by himself.

Listen, if you’re still trying to get that fix of mid-nineties nu-metal, don’t do yourself a favor and go out and pick up the new Mudvayne or Limp Bizkit, but if your looking for an extension of something that is smarter, cleaner and more meaningful to listen to, don’t walk, run to go pick this album up. For fans of bands like Mogwai and Denali, Team Sleep has created something that very few bands have dared toggle with and that’s a sense a musical spirituality that coarses through your body as you listen to this album. Don’t sell yourself short, go out and pick this up before all the cool kids start listening to it.

Grade: A-