How Jane Jacobs Transformed the Way We Plan Cities

The subject of Google’s latest doodle may be unfamiliar to most, but anyone who’s living in a big city has undoubtedly been affected by her life’s work. Jane Jacobs—an urban planning activist and author of the 1961 book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” who just turned 100—spoke up against the government and powerful developers who sought to clear out small neighborhoods to …

Premiere: “Santa Muerte” by Brodka

In the song named after the skeleton folk saint, the Polish singer considers a new perspective on death

Poland saw Monika Brodka (from the mountain village of Zywiec) rise to fame as the winner of 2004’s Polish Pop idol. No longer a teenager, the alt-pop singer-songwriter—under the name Brodka—will release her first English language album Clashes in two weeks (13 May), on Play It Again Sam. In her recent music video for “Horses,” Brodka channels the stare-into-your-soul aspect of Robyn with utmost eloquence. …

Radiohead: Burn the Witch

A puppet man tours a picturesque village, full of other seemingly benign puppet people—but something strange is afoot. Soundtracking this miniature movie (an homage to the 1973 cult film “The Wicker Man,” except perhaps for its ending) is the new Radiohead song “Burn the Witch.” From the start, violins are bowed unconventionally to create an unsettling, bouncing texture, slowly building into an ominous climax. Radiohead …