Puppies of Pop

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Crossposted from Haaretz
Klavlavei Hapop is a name that in recent months has been whispered about in small clubs, on fringe music blogs, Facebook pages, student radio stations, between tents and at supermarkets open all night and at art schools. This was before the musical quintet behind the name released its premiere album or even a single, or even played a gig.
Assaf Bloom and Yaron Sivan studied together at the School of Sound and Music and both have deep, low and dark voices. One night last September they were sitting on stools and listening for the millionth time to the only album of the Jinjiyot, from 2008. After a discussion of its qualities, they decided the time had come to revive their musical style.
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
, editor-in-chief