Friendly Fire: A Capella + Instrumental

[Justin]

12 hours ago, IWillWalkAway said:

I wouldn’t say we’re devolving, we’re really just sharing what we think about the release. I wouldn’t complain personally but I’d like it if more songs had these, so we don’t have to rip the tracks with flawed AI that we pay for.
 

 

Not a fan of OML as much as other things LP did. Now an official Acapella/instrumental of Lost would’ve had me jumping in my boots. But I’m happy and glad they’re still putting out stuff whatever it is I’m definitely willing to listen to it. I’ve still got my personal opinion that Meteora is a better album than OML. So I’m just not super stoked about a Friendly Fire instrumental and acapella. Doesn’t mean I’m not grateful for everything LP has given to us throughout all these years. And also, obviously but of course, being a fan doesn’t mean you have to love everything a band has ever created.

Being “not stoked” about it is fine. That’s your opinion. I also would love an official acapella/instrumental release of Lost as well as all of LP’s albums prior to LT.

 

With that said, your opinion is still a lot different than somebody calling it a “shitty cash grab” which is what Astat was responding to.

[NJPLP]

I wonder if we’ll get multitracks/stems for “Friendly Fire”. I would like to hear the vocals all separated into lead and backing vocals, especially Chester’s and Mike’s backing vocals in the song. Maybe even the acoustic guitar would sound good, too.

Edited March 29 by NJPLP

[Qwerty18]

About the instrumental: I really like the guitar work on the track. It's subtle, smooth, and full of finesse. 

 

On the other end, I don't get why the drop hit (of whatever you call it) was mixed or done to sound so..... thin?  The best example I have of it is at the 1:27 mark. When the tension is released, there is that "splaaah" sound (drum/sample/both). And honestly, that sound, I find it unpleasant, to the point it slightly, and non-metaphorically, hurt my ears. 

 

Weird choices on the sound-design department have been my biggest complain about that era in general - this is another occurrence of it.

 

Edited March 30 by Qwerty18

[RentEznor]

Awesome! Most of the instrumental/acapellas are already out there, and I'm still glad the leaked ones were made available years later. Like @Qwerty18 said, still kinda frustrated about certain 'official' songs, either released or leaked, that sound off (SOTD, OSC and some instrumental versions from Reanimation had a different mixing 😌) or weren't included for whatever reason (My December, X-Ecutioner Style and With You are completely absent from the Reanimation instrumentals even though there's explicit evidence of them existing as they can be heard on many old LPTV's).

 

I have my pet peeves about the topic but I will never complain about having these or let alone getting a link from the artist itself for free including stems/track/explicit/censored/etc.

Edited March 31 by RentEznor

[LPLStaff]

On 3/31/2024 at 10:36 AM, RentEznor said:

Awesome! Most of the instrumental/acapellas are already out there, and I'm still glad the leaked ones were made available years later. Like @Qwerty18 said, still kinda frustrated about certain 'official' songs, either released or leaked, that sound off (SOTD, OSC and some instrumental versions from Reanimation had a different mixing 😌) or weren't included for whatever reason (My December, X-Ecutioner Style and With You are completely absent from the Reanimation instrumentals even though there's explicit evidence of them existing as they can be heard on many old LPTV's).

 

I have my pet peeves about the topic but I will never complain about having these or let alone getting a link from the artist itself for free including stems/track/explicit/censored/etc.

 

Well they weren't made for public release is why you have the mixing differences and missing songs. They are just internal CDs for different purposes.

 

On 3/28/2024 at 7:05 PM, RYG4R said:

Another shitty cashgrab by WB.

 

This makes literally zero sense lol

 

They should have done this with Lost and She Couldn't, though.

 

Man you can really tell they focused more on vocals than instrumentals on OML, the instrumentals sound so basic for them compared to all other LP albums.

[Soeffingnaive92]

1 hour ago, LPLStaff said:

 

Well they weren't made for public release is why you have the mixing differences and missing songs. They are just internal CDs for different purposes.

 

 

This makes literally zero sense lol

 

They should have done this with Lost and She Couldn't, though.

 

Man you can really tell they focused more on vocals than instrumentals on OML, the instrumentals sound so basic for them compared to all other LP albums.

Yeah this one sounds like a watered down and simplified version of Not Alone and Holding Company 

[YRQRM0]

On 3/30/2024 at 3:54 AM, Qwerty18 said:

About the instrumental: I really like the guitar work on the track. It's subtle, smooth, and full of finesse. 

 

On the other end, I don't get why the drop hit (of whatever you call it) was mixed or done to sound so..... thin?  The best example I have of it is at the 1:27 mark. When the tension is released, there is that "splaaah" sound (drum/sample/both). And honestly, that sound, I find it unpleasant, to the point it slightly, and non-metaphorically, hurt my ears. 

 

Weird choices on the sound-design department have been my biggest complain about that era in general - this is another occurrence of it.

 

 

Finally some discussion about the actual music. I agree about the guitar, I feel like people don't give the OML guitar work enough credit for all the texture and interest it adds, LP really took to this pop sound flawlessly despite it being so far from work like THP before or anything else

As for the drop style, I think that's just part of the sound. In the context of the song I think it sounds great, it's Chester's vocals that are really carrying the intensity of that moment imo 

[AceWav]

On 3/30/2024 at 4:54 AM, Qwerty18 said:

About the instrumental: I really like the guitar work on the track. It's subtle, smooth, and full of finesse. 

 

On the other end, I don't get why the drop hit (of whatever you call it) was mixed or done to sound so..... thin?  The best example I have of it is at the 1:27 mark. When the tension is released, there is that "splaaah" sound (drum/sample/both). And honestly, that sound, I find it unpleasant, to the point it slightly, and non-metaphorically, hurt my ears. 

 

Weird choices on the sound-design department have been my biggest complain about that era in general - this is another occurrence of it.

 

You've got a keen ear for audio engineering if you can pinpoint such small details like this. I noticed it's then used in the ''fire'' chorus section, so i believe that drop hit is a blended snare sound to help set up in that moment the chorus snare, cause it's the same ongoing sound from there. That had to be a mike move, because i learned this technique from Mike and apply it to my songs sometimes. Every other snare, I'll add a sampled layer or a reverb tail or something so the snare doesn't sound to redundant in its tone. 

Edited April 3 by AceWav

[YRQRM0]

3 hours ago, AceWav said:

You've got a keen ear for audio engineering if you can pinpoint such small details like this. I noticed it's then used in the ''fire'' chorus section, so i believe that drop hit is a blended snare sound to help set up in that moment the chorus snare, cause it's the same ongoing sound from there. That had to be a mike move, because i learned this technique from Mike and apply it to my songs sometimes. Every other snare, I'll add a sampled layer or a reverb tail or something so the snare doesn't sound to redundant in its tone. 

 

Oh I thought OP was talking about the light crash, but yeah I agree with this for that snare sound. And the technique you're talking about is most obvious in the beginning of Heavy imo 

To me it sounds like a clap stacked on top of the snare to give it some variety. I'd really love more breakdowns of OML instrumentals, there's a lot of interesting color in there 

[AceWav]

2 minutes ago, YRQRM0 said:

 

Oh I thought OP was talking about the light crash, but yeah I agree with this for that snare sound. And the technique you're talking about is most obvious in the beginning of Heavy imo 

To me it sounds like a clap stacked on top of the snare to give it some variety. I'd really love more breakdowns of OML instrumentals, there's a lot of interesting color in there 

Oh me too! I know LP filmed every album process (besides HT, maybe?) But one day we will finally get to see behind the scenes of OML and all that went into it's process. I just want a making of for that album, also for THP that would be so sick. At least we got LPTV's. But yeah all those colors in OML make it their most colorful album sonically. I am sure i'll continue to hear little sounds or quirks in the mix i didin't hear before as the years go by, that's what makes a pop record fun, more so Mike's pop production cause it's Linkin Parkified, as Pheonix would say. Lots of layers to pick out inside of a very polished, well thought out album. 

[RentEznor]

On 4/1/2024 at 6:30 PM, LPLStaff said:

 

Well they weren't made for public release is why you have the mixing differences and missing songs. They are just internal CDs for different purposes.

 

Yeah I'm aware of those being used for multiple reasons and that's why they feel and felt unfinished, but it still bothers me a bit lol

[Qwerty18]

Thanks guys for the more technical details around the samples/drums. Love those kind of "deep dive" discussions.

 

The part that's been distracting to me has indeed more to do with the light crash, and the ongoing thin "white noise" sound that follows it up. Those plays in frequencies a bit too high for my liking, and it disturb my focus from the other, nicer, parts of the soundscape. Like if you've got a cool picture, but then put a questionable filter on it. Of course, that's how I perceive it, might be different for others