This came out in 2005 — or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Rock star side projects can be a no-win situation.
On the one hand, no fan wants their hero’s solo disc to suck — but on the other, they don’t necessarily want it to blow away their hero’s original band.
Well, good news for Deftones lovers: They have nothing to fear in either regard from singer-guitarist Chino Moreno’s extracurricular endeavour Team Sleep. Formed around the nucleus of Moreno, an old school chum who plays guitar and a DJ, Team Sleep fittingly showcase the dreamy, shoegazer art-pop that often takes a backseat to the metallic might of Moreno’s main gig — and they toss in plenty of skittery beatboxes and turntablism to add a contemporary edge to the proceedings.
When it’s all said and done 15 songs and 53 minutes later, you end up with a low-wattage, high-tech affair somewhere between Radiohead, Massive Attack, The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins at their most narcoleptic. Which hardly makes Team Sleep a nightmare — even if it isn’t a fan’s dream come true either. Looks like nobody has to worry about Chino giving up his day job just yet.
