🎧 DJ CAIT #3 🎧 | April Showers...
Music suggestions and subscriber recommendations!
Hi party people,
I’m very glad to be writing (for pleasure) again. I’d love to share a bit of what I’ve been listening to, and some of your recommendations (yay!). You can find the DJ Cait playlist here and send me suggestions in the subscriber chat.
A quick word about albums
I’ve noticed quite a few Substack posts about listening to albums “in full” or albums we’re listening to “all the way through.” I’d like to clarify that while I enjoy curating moods or a collection of songs through a playlist, I still prefer to listen to albums. They’re essential to receiving the full experience of an artist’s sound or story. Before getting into my mini reviews, I’ll drop some albums I’ve been enjoying lately:
Fever by Kylie Minogue
choke enough by Oklou
ex:el by 808 State
Off the Wall by Michael Jackson
April’s mini reviews 🌧️💿
Entrance by sun electric
I finished listening to a playlist, and this song came on as a Spotify suggestion (shockingly, their algorithm still works sometimes). I said it reminded me of penguins dancing at a rave in Antarctica. That imagery has been so crystal clear in my mind that I still giggle to myself a little bit when I hear the song… I picture them flopping around like the dancing bears in this video. I’m sorry. It’s still a really great techno song and you should give it a listen and immerse yourself in penguin rave culture. They are being hit hard by the tariffs so we should really support them.
Painter from New York by Color Filter
This song is an instant pick-me-up, a cup of sweet coffee in the morning, and should be the opening song in a rom-com. The piano and guitar are uplifting and sweet, but it’s still quirky, especially with the yelling vocal samples around 3:10. I think that’s why I feel like it belongs in a movie soundtrack; there’s a complex story unfolding here.
Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads
I try to keep most of the suggestions in these posts (somewhat) current, or at the very least relatively unknown, since I’m assuming lots of folks already know how great the Talking Heads are. I recently watched Stop Making Sense which reinvigorated my love for this band.
I first encountered the Talking Heads through this meme of Kermit the Frog (I only saw the screenshot at the time, but it’s from a Muppets cover of the song). It made me think of my previous post about finding old music through the internet. These mediums—memes, internet posts, or TV shows—function like oral narration once did. Instead of passing down stories through oral traditions, culture is transmitted to the younger generations through images and references. They both contain the same fleeting, yet impressionable feeling that reading cannot replicate. Another example would be this Spongebob episode, which was mine and many others’ first introduction to Nosferatu (I’ve referenced “then who was flickering the lights?... Nosferatu!” too many times to count).
Boyfriend by Best Coast
When springtime hits, I immediately think of driving to the beach. When I drive to the beach, I simply must listen to indie rock. It is mandatory (if you’re curious… my beachy playlist is here— not to be confused with the beach playlist, or the palm tree playlist, or the ocean playlist, or the surfing hype playlist). This connection is definitely related to The Beach Boys, but there’s something about warm (but not too warm), weather and indie rock that makes for a perfect match.
Love Affair by Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue is not for the pop girlies. She’s for the pop women. She’s for the ladies who want to have a few drinks and dance. She’s for the women with less than four hours of screentime who still understand internet references. I’m desperately waiting for clubs to incorporate more of Kylie’s catalog into their 00s and disco nights.
💌 SUGGESTION BOX 💌
In my previous DJ Cait entry, Substack Vanessa XM suggested that I listen to the album ODDWORLD by Ocean Grove and the GALORE EP by House of Protection. Thanks for the suggestions!
ODDWORLD felt very inspired by Linkin Park but still had freshness and fun to it, especially in the song CELL DIVISION (which was the song you suggested)! I also liked the song STUNNER. I thought I had outgrown my nu metal and emo days, but it’s good to know I’m only one situation away from that bottle of red hair dye.
I’m seriously loving hearing your experiences with music listening and hearing your suggestions. Thanks for tuning in and please keep them coming!
This is so not swag