So, the story behind this. I really enjoy this version of the song, I love Ashe’s vocals, and I feel this this sort of atmosphere portrays completely different emotions compared to the more djenty version on the album (although I still really like the album version). However, this track proved as a sort of test run with Ashe, meaning that it was released on a platform (probably something like myspace) and then re-uploaded to YouTube. I could not find these tracks anywhere (I looked), and what caused me to check was the fact that someone went and took the videos down off of YouTube. As of that point, I could no longer find this version of the song, and could not listen to it.
The instrumentals on this song were actually released at a different point, with different mixing. They had released an EP with a different vocalist, so that was the official release of this version of the song. However, the difference in mixing and vocals really matters, and I feel like Ashe’s vocals specifically were a much better fit for the song. My saving grace came in the form of a video on YouTube that was likely missed or left up, due to the fact that it combined the vocals of the EP version and Ashe’s version. So, it was simply a matter of splitting the stereo track, and centering the mix. I now had a bootleg copy of Ashe’s version, on a mono track, with slightly worse upload quality on behalf of the dual vocalist mix I took it from. This is that version, and it’s why it starts around the time the vocals enter, and why it might sound a bit compressed.
Either way, I hope you all enjoy this song as much as I do, they never quite did something like this again, but I think it really suited Ashe’s voice. Their album, Altered State, really did as well, but this invokes a different sort of feel, not one inherently better or worse.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy: