MoJo Staff Picks: April 18

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


mojo-staff-picks-250x250.jpgWelcome back to the “staff picks” shelf at The Riff.

1. Gary: Janet Jackson’s new album, Discipline, dropped in February, so she’s back in action. And it’s good! I resisted the urge to include “When I think of You,” one of the BEST songs from my junior high career, and instead went with a new track, “Rock With U,” because it’s saucy.

2. Gary: The combination of Faith No More’s Mike Patton with the “math” rock/hardcore band Dillinger Escape Plan produced what I consider some of the most interesting and badass aggressive/metal/thrash/loud/angry music of the early 2000s. The band’s chaos is precise, and nobody screams the way Mike Patton screams. Turn it up.

3. Kiera (on a Russian kick this week): “Id,” Nogu Svelo! This band’s name, I’m told, translates to something along the lines of “cramp in the leg!” They’ve been giving Russians cramps in their legs…from dancing…for 20 years. Like it? You’re in luck! They have a new album coming out. Or at least that’s what this Google translation of part of their website makes it sound like:

I hasten to inform joyous news: Musicians Nogu Svelo!…locked in the studio and prepare a surprise for all their fans!

4. Kiera: “Dvornik,” Agata Kristi. Since you’ve always wished Depeche Mode would sing in Russian, I’ve decided to make your day. Masters of Russian indie pop Agata Kristi synth it up in this track. I won’t lie: It’s a little gothic, too.

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate