The first weekend of the iconic music festival Coachella just commenced! Huge acts like Justin Bieber, The Strokes, and David Byrne graced the desert stage. Fans are looking forward to doing it all again at the end of this week as the festival ramps up for weekend two. Here at Lightning, we are feeling some FOMO, so we decided to come up with some songs we’re sad to miss seeing live!
Abby’s Pick: “My Man on Willpower” by Sabrina Carpenter
The first headliner for first Coachella weekend was international star, Sabrina Carpenter! One of my favorite artists, her show lasted an hour long and introduced songs never performed before. Her set spanned Sabrina’s last three albums, Emails I Can’t Send, Short n’ Sweet, and Man’s Best Friend. Her intricate set design, storyline, and artistry captivated audiences worldwide. “My Man on Willpower,” the third track off Man’s Best Friend, was one of the songs that had a live debut this past weekend. Although there was some technical difficulties, it was one of her best songs that night. The feeling of your significant other pulling away and leaving you behind, something many can relate to, radiates through the song and Sabrina’s voice as she walks across the stage. “He used to be literally obsessed with me, now I’m the least sought after girl in the land,” echoed through the desert and my apartment as the song made it’s live debut on the iconic stage.
Click the link below to listen to “My Man on Willpower” by Sabrina Carpenter!
Alex’s Pick: “2122” by Geese
Geese sang their song “2122” off their sophomore LP 3D Country. This is the opening track of that album, and when I first heard it, my mind was blown. It felt like hearing Led Zeppelin I for the first time. (Very high praise, I am aware.) But I really mean that. The raw energy and freshness of the track, combined with the uncompromising hard rock edge, electrified me. 3D Country is one of the most “free” albums I’ve listened to in recent years.
Seeing Geese perform 2122 at Coachella is exciting to me. They deserve the recognition they’re getting. I’m going to try to avoid the unsightly hipster pursuit angle and resist feeling any negative emotion seeing their music put in front of a mainstream audience, and just be happy for them. Their music is awesome, and I’m happy to see it succeed.
Geese is making rock and roll with the initial spirit that generated it. It’s made with defiance, youthful exuberance, and swagger. Rock music in recent years has felt so chained to the tradition it’s a part of. It’s often sad to me. A lot of it feels like it is trying in vain to relive when rock music was on top in the 60s through the 90s. (For evidence of this, simply ask yourself, why do Gibson Les Pauls made in certain years cost over 50 TIMES a new one?) Geese is not trying to relive anything. They make rock and roll music made for right now. It feels dangerous in the best way.
Listen to the live performance at the link below!
Chloe’s Pick: “iPod Touch” by Ninajirachi
While I have no interest in enduring the desert storm that is Coachella, I was still jealous of the people who got to experience the awesome line-up this year. Picking just one song I would have liked to see live was difficult, but I decided on the Australian electronic music producer Ninajirachi and her song “iPod Touch.” I’m not one who often listens to electronic music, but Ninjirachi’s songs are so addicting that I can’t help but listen. Another quality of her music that makes her stand out to me is her lyricism.
While her vocals are hard to make out through the computer sound effects and heavy vocal production, her lyrics are so creative and often tell a captivating story. This track is no exception. The song tells the classic story of discovering a new favorite song as a child. My favorite lyric from the song is,” It sounds like I’ve got a song that nobody knows, And I heard it in a post when I was twelve years old, I didn’t know it would score the 64-bus home, Turn a Monday to a memory and change my world.” She is great at telling a story through creative descriptions and scene building. Her set at Coachella was full of joy and energy and I would have loved to be in the crowd, dancing with the other festival-goers!
Check out her performance of “iPod Touch” using the link below!
Sally’s Pick: “Olympus” by Blondshell
This year’s Coachella lineup is particularly stacked. Featuring artists like David Byrne, Alex G, and FKA Twigs, this Coachella weekend is sure to be a memorable one. There are so many songs I am sad to miss, but most of all I wish I could be there for the Blondshell set. Blondshell is an indie rock artist from New York. I can’t think of any better place to hear her 90s influenced, lyrical, alternative rock, than the deserts of southern California. Specifically, I wish I could hear her song, “Olympus” live, as this song holds specific memories for me. When I totaled my car the summer before last, “Olympus” was the song playing on my car radio (at a very reasonable level). Therefore, I think I deserve to see it live. But, unfortunately I am stranded, 2000 miles away. Like the rest of America, I remain at the mercy of the booking agents and the tour managers of my favorite artists. Until then, I will continue listening to Blondshell through my car speakers, at a very reasonable volume.
Which set do you wish you could have seen at Coachella?
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