One would think that a professional musician living, eating and breathing music all day, every day would take advantage of down time to take a break from the profession and investigate other interests or activities. In the case of Chino Moreno, founder and frontman of the “aggro-rock” band the Deftones, this simply isn’t so.

“When I have time off from music, I want to make other music — that’s what I do, that’s what’s fun, that’s what makes me happy.” Moreno’s obvious passion for the creation and performance of music has resulted in the formation of a side project that exhibits a very different side of the musician’s style and talent.

With a debut album that has been five years in the making, the relatively unknown Team Sleep is entering the music scene as an intriguing and much anticipated group. The band is the result of something of an afterthought, with Moreno and friend Todd Wilkinson forming the group after years of “messing around with a four-track recorder.” Wilkinson said, “We were never going to make a record or start a band. I was just sitting at home, playing guitar and I started recording some stuff. It was never about trying to play shows, recording in a studio … It was just bumming around. I had never been in a band, and I never wanted to be — we were just friends.” The casual approach to the creation of Team Sleep has characterized its existence and is reflected in the music it produces.

Originally slated for release in 2001, unfinished tracks on the self-titled Team Sleep debut were leaked to the Internet and began receiving radio play. Despite the minor setback, the band continued to write and eventually developed a new set of originals, 15 of which now compose Team Sleep’s actual debut, scheduled to drop May 10.

The band’s debut features music with a trance-like quality, incorporating an almost industrial or mechanical feel to each song. As explained by Moreno, because Team Sleep has no preconceptions of sound to deal with (unlike the Deftones, who are expected to deliver a certain aggressive rock style with each record), the group is allowed an increased freedom to experiment with different sounds and styles. The CD is, for the most part, beat-driven and showcases the talent of Hill on drums as well as Crook on turntables and drum programming. The duo delivers beats that channel those of bands like Massive Attack but is careful to add its own twists to the rhythm.

Certain tracks stand out more than others on the album, with “Ever (Foreign Flag)” and “Tomb of Liegia” being two of the best. The latter was inspired by an Edgar Allen Poe poem and features the haunting vocal stylings of Helium frontwoman Mary Timony. The former is one of many songs on the album that exhibits a softer and more thoughtful side of Moreno, deviating from the usually hardcore rock style of the Deftones.

The willingness to explore a new style of music is an admirable aspect of Team Sleep’s recording. The embrace of trance-like sounds, though, begins to be a bit much as the CD completes its 15-song cycle. The ethereal smoothness progresses the album from one song to the next, making listeners oblivious to the passing of tracks and time.

The band’s self-titled is really a journey, and upon reaching the end listeners turn around and wonder how they got there. While an interesting aspect, it is one that causes difficulty in keeping listeners continually engaged. With Team Sleep, one song is just as good as another and, while delivering interesting concepts, the album as a whole drags and might better serve as a sleep aid than an engaging addition to one’s music collection.

Grade: B