Posts tagged 'Bizarre'
I, pet goat 2
“A story about the fire at the heart of suffering.”
Oh shit. Do yourself a favor and prime your environment for an optimal viewing experience – lights down, full-screen and volume up – this gem deserves your undivided attention.
The attached was created by the talented team at Heliofant, “a nascent independent computer animation studio focused on creating experimental and challenging content” based in the Laurentian mountains just north of Montreal. At present they’re 100% self-funded and you can ensure their next short comes ‘sooner’ rather than ‘later’ by dropping a few shekels into their Paypal.
My weekly album allowance was diverted their way, maybe you’ll consider something similar?
One more thing: Heliofant whipped-up some high-def wallpapers based on the film so follow this hyperlink if you’re in the market for a fresh coat of desktop pixels.
[ I, pet goat II ]
posted by respondcreate on Jun. 29, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, bizarre, christ, colorful, dance, dark, hd, heliofant, louis lefebvre, politics, psychedelic, spirituality, tanuki project, trippy
Etcetera
I wasn’t sure where this music video – by director/animator/illustrator/designer Martin Allais – was headed but ceased to care once the flowing bursts of animation kicked in at 0:41. It’s bizarre in the best of ways, diverting any effort that might have been paid towards narrative into an all-in exhibition of constantly morphing visuals. The animation shifts between hand-drawn and computer generated but shares a textural sheen that, when combined with the paper craft infused stop-motion, creates an intimate, playful atmosphere.
Technically, this project was ‘unofficial’ which just means My Dry Wet Mess didn’t have to pay a dime for a killer music video. It turns out that the bill was picked up by some generous folks over at IndieGoGo so ‘Cheers!’ to everyone who invested money out of ‘pure trust’, having no idea what Martin would end up creating.
I rather like this new, crowd funded world; thanks (again), internet.
Speaking of which, we’re indebted to ‘Mark I’ for dropping this one in our inbox. Thanks!
[ My Dry Wet Mess - Etcetera ]
posted by respondcreate on Jun. 27, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, bizarre, colorful, electronic music, hand drawn, hd, magical properties, music video, my dry wet mess, stop motion, trippy
The First Time Cee Cee Did Acid
File under: LOLWAT
Thanks, twins are weird!
[ Cee Cee's Bedtime Stories #1 - The First Time Cee Cee Did Acid ]
posted by respondcreate on Jun. 17, 2012 in Videos | tags: acid, animation, bizarre, drugs, hd, lol, lolwat, twins are weird, wat
Lazuli
Beach House has a just-out-of-reach enigmatic quality to their music; I don’t ‘get’ what they’re trying to say but then I do…kinda. I’m OK with it – I’ve never needed meaning to be force-fed down my gullet (in fact, I prefer the opposite) – and their tunes often leave an aftertaste of mystery that never quite resolves. In those moments the lack of lyrical clarity is preferable; it frees me to power-down the analytical modules of my brain and relax into the pure ethereal atmosphere of their instrumentation.
It’s rather nice, really.
Allen Cordell, who directed the attached, seems to get this too as he’s peppered the whole affair with oblique, mysterious visuals that fit together in style and tone but not much else. It’s bizarre in the best of ways, a fitting first course for a late-night, solitary sesh.
What are you waiting for? Get in there.
posted by respondcreate on Jun. 12, 2012 in Videos | tags: allen cordell, beach house, bizarre, colorful, ethereal, hd, music video, psychedelic, trippy, wat
Little Boat
The attached first appeared on my radar over a year ago when it was initially released. We had recently featured This one time… – a bizarre, wonderfully inventive short by its creator, Nelson Boles – and, for whatever dumb reason, I figured I’d save his latest for later. Between now and then Little Boat has been pinging my consciousness at regular intervals and, when I saw it had been selected as a finalist in the 2012 Vimeo Awards, I figured it was high time I give it a proper watch.
Sometimes when I’m certain a film is going to be great I won’t press play until the setting is just-right. Often I’ll implore you to ‘grab your headphones’ or turn the lights-down and, in that regard, I try to take my own advice as much as possible. Most times that isn’t feasible and I’ll catch up on your suggestions and my own regular internet rounds while on the train or whenever I have a few minutes in-between keeping my daughter alive.
It’s a shame I waited so long to dive in to this one but I’m glad I made the effort to slow myself down before experiencing it. Everything about Little Boat is great – its whimsical, bizarre (and endearing) story is told entirely through quick vignettes of tightly executed, cell-shaded visuals backed with some excellent sound design that completes the immersion. It, like all great animated shorts, appears to be a snapshot taken from within a fully-realized unique world, wholly separate from our own. Nelson seems to have a knack for creating those so we’re excited to see what he’ll come up with next. Speaking of which, have you seen This one time… yet? It’s fucking great.
[ Little Boat ]
posted by respondcreate on Jun. 03, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, bizarre, colorful, hd, nelson boles, water, waves, whimsical
Ghosst(s)
CRCR brings the weird once again with some dark, bizarre hand-drawn visuals in this music video for Lorn‘s latest release on Ninja Tune. Serving suggestion: full-screen, lights-down, volume up.
The other CRCR-created shorts we’ve posted so-far – Jesus2000 and Todor & Petru – definitely warrant your attention or, if you’d rather keep the awesome music video train rolling, check out our Ninja Tune feed; everything there is well-worth your time. Enjoy!
posted by respondcreate on May. 30, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, bizarre, crcr, dark, hd, lorn, monochromatic, music video, ninja tune, trippy
Mind Control
“I don’t want the right to be rude, I just want the right to be cool –
However I chose to do it, I do whatever I chose to be or whom.
Hey I don’t need your money, I can grow my own food.
I don’t need your beauty standard, I can be my own dude.
And I don’t pay tuition, I can be my own school.
I don’t need your prescriptions, I can change my own mood.”
I was alive in the early eighties but didn’t become cognizant of its peculiar pop-cultural flavors until years later when I’d embark on mid-day marathons of tee-vee re-runs. I enjoyed playing outside sure, but there’s something about being locked into a screen that I’ve always found cathartic. I felt guilty about it then but I’m not sure why; whenever I’d try to tune out some inner voice would chime in, reminding me that I was wasting precious time. In all honesty, I figured it was God trying to communicate that I was sinning but – considering I’ve ruled that line of reasoning out – I’m returning to these old shame-markers in an attempt to unpack them.
Almost immediately after I began watching the attached, random memories surfaced of couch-locked sunny Summer afternoons where I allowed my brain to spool itself down to catharsis via hours-long binges on such shows as Airwolf, Knight Rider, A-Team and Mission Impossible. I don’t know when the compulsion to cram my head with media started but, as far as I can tell, the fixation has always been with me; it’s what I love to do.
I know now that, in this regard, television was an aperitif, a mere warm-up to the full-on high that would deliver itself in stunning revelatory clarity when I first found the internet. I still hold affection for the older form, one in which it was someone’s else’s job to decide what I’d see next. There’s a sentimental comfort in watching simple characters act out uncomplicated plots (whose resolution you could reliably guess by paying close attention to the first few scenes) over a grainy analog signal.
In that regard, this music video for Brooklyn-based Friends – directed by Hiro Murai – delivers handily, leveraging a heavy nostalgia vector without getting too mired in it; there’s a modernity to the execution that keeps it fresh. I’m down. Plus: kaleidoscopes. Fuck yeah.
posted by respondcreate on May. 24, 2012 in Videos | tags: bizarre, friends, hd, hiro murai, kaleidoscope, music video, nostalgia, trippy
Nature Regulate
“All emotions are disease, worn down like rotted teeth;
I run a hundred miles an hour, to try and get free.
But to stained dollars we obey, ease the military away.
What happened to making the most of it?
What if one life – one roll of the dice – is all you get?”
The visuals in this music video for Birdpen (by Pooya Abbasian) are, at first glance a bit random and disconnected which, if I’m honest, initially put me off. I was like, what’s this all about bro? But the song itself – with its earnest description of the anxiety-riddled self doubt that chaperones our search for significance – speaks to the indeterminate, ultimate open-ended-ness that flows beneath us as we grow up. In that light, something connected and I watched it a few times in quick succession. Maybe you’ll like it too?
Thanks for taking the time to send this in Pooya, cheers!
posted by respondcreate on May. 19, 2012 in Videos | tags: abstract, animation, birdpen, bizarre, contemplative, ethereal, growing up, hd, music video, pooya abbasian, trippy
Feed me rainbows
File under: LOLWAT
Bizarre, polygonal visuals from Marco Morandi set to some ethereal, atmospheric tunes by Ninca Leece. Thanks again, internet!
[ Feed me rainbows ]
posted by respondcreate on May. 17, 2012 in Videos | tags: bears, bizarre, colorful, dance, deer, electronic music, lolwat, music video, ninca leece, polygons, trippy, wat
Remember
Have you guys ever heard of Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seeds? In terms of psychedelics I wouldn’t recommend them. On the gradient scale from discomfort to otherworldly bliss they skew wildly towards the former; your platter is piled high with twin helpings of purge and (if you’re lucky) only a minuscule, mostly-tasteless garnish of surreal, clanking insight. To put it simply: there’s a reason you can buy them legally at your local garden supply store.
We’ve all been there though right? A blank-slate weekend with itchy thoughts, desperate for some kind of stimulation. Your mainstays are all-but depleted with no one in sight to replenish their stores. It’s in these moments the mind gets desperate. “Oh, you read about these on the internet? You heard it could-do-something-or-other? Yeah man, whatever, I’m down.”
A bored young brain can be a strange and dangerous thing.
Anyways, after a heavy barbecue dinner, a few drinks and some futile resin hits we swallowed them down. Numerous trustworthy warnings, received in hypertext, were casually disregarded; apparently they were supposed to be soaked overnight to remove some noxious husk. Too late, it’s 11pm on a clear, perfect Saturday; we’ll take our chances. “Let’s go.”
Hours pass. Nothing. Time for bed; we’re getting sleepy, unaware that this is part of the ramp up. “I’ll take the couch dude, good night, see you in the morning.”
I’m not sure when the ‘thrumming’ started but it probably kicked-off during R.E.M. sleep. Though in-reality absolutely still, my limbs were buzzy and shaking. It was as if my tendons were lengthening, the attached muscles dangling freely from stringy bones like swaying wind chimes before a late-summer thunderstorm.
And where was the warmth going? Why was it traveling to my core in thick palpable waves? Thrum-rum-rum-um, thrum-rum-rum-um, thrum-rum-rum-um. It was pleasant but…not. I couldn’t decide. Was I dreaming?
I opened my eyes and the opposite wall was alive with blinks and flashes. Is this the trip? Yes, but not like I was thinking, the fevered visuals on display came not from my mind but a more pedestrian source: the cheap display of an all-in-one stereo perched high on the shelf behind me. There was no sound coming from the speakers but I could hear it all the same, Thrum-rum-rum-um, thrum-rum-rum-um, thrum-rum-rum-um.
It moved in concert with my jangled limbs, carrying heat down my shoulders and up my hips to meet in the center of my gut. It felt wonderful for about a minute and then I realized what was happening: my body was trying to tell me that I was going to vomit. Like now. In someone else’s house. I needed to make a break for it.
FUCK.
Lying on the cool bathroom floor felt fantastic and I stayed there for hours. It wasn’t just the idle stereo’s flickering slot-machine demo mode that could be heard but all sources of light. In here however, the gentle thrum was gone, it’s barely-audible throb replaced by a constant and abrasive owl’s screech from the bright spherical bulbs above the vanity.
It was around this time that I said aloud, “Morning…I want it to be morning now.”
The flavors in the attached remind me a bit of that night though, thankfully, sans anxious nausea. This is one of those videos you need headphones on in a dark-room to fully appreciate. The layers of tight, aggressive synths and staccato vocals from new-on-the-scene Raveyards coalesce into an aggressive cacophony while the whacked-out dark, just-a-bit unsettling visuals (as directed by Brussels-based Charles De Meyer) ramp up accordingly til it all culminates in a bizarre crescendo.
It’s so dope, you guys; an instant classic. Enjoy!
posted by respondcreate on May. 13, 2012 in Videos | tags: bizarre, charles de meyer, dark, electronic music, hd, mind bending, music video, raveyards, surreal, trippy, violence
Waiting Room
Trippy, mane.
Jake Fried creates his unique style of bizarre, constantly evolving animation by hand using only ink and wite-out. Once you’re done watching this, head over to his website to see more.
Cheers to Sam Lillard for the heads-up.
[ Waiting Room ]
posted by respondcreate on May. 05, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, bizarre, hand drawn, hd, jake fried, monochromatic, stop motion, trippy
Sub Wars
File under: LOLWAT
Absolutely diggin’ this bizarre, hyper-violent animated short by Chinese director/animator/illustrator SeanSoong. Enjoy!
[ 地铁大逃杀 - SUB WARS ]
posted by respondcreate on Apr. 29, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, ayo_chen, bizarre, china, hd, lolwat, seansoong, star wars, trippy, violence
The Rifle’s Spiral
“Good night to these wretched forms; all them gray eyes on the subway.
So long before you were born you were always to be a dagger floating…
...straight to their heart.”
Jamie Caliri conjures up an ethereal, bizarre and magical gumbo of visuals (with stylistic nods to Edward Gorey and Tim Burton) in this excellent stop motion music video for The Shins. It’s a treat friends, don’t hesitate to dive in.
A big thanks goes to Benjamin for sending this our way…cheers!
[ The Shins - The Rifle's Spiral ]
posted by respondcreate on Apr. 29, 2012 in Videos | tags: bizarre, dark, dream, ethereal, hd, jamie caliri, magic, music video, stop motion, the shins, trippy, vevo sucks
iv.10
About three weeks ago Scott Benson tweeted about an apparent segment of the population that thinks animation used to be better then. Wait, did I just link to a tweet? I think I can swing a copy/paste of 140 characters for proper context: “Those who claim that modern animation doesn’t match up to an earlier period aren’t on the internet. It’s the best era of the medium NOW.”
I get what he’s saying – and honestly, I agree – but these are just subjective opinions based on our personal preferences. I’m one of those annoying assholes who, when someone says something is ‘better’, quickly attaches an unsolicited ‘for you’ suffix to their statement. It’s a knee-jerk response conditioned by years of being told the stuff I liked was somehow inferior. Like, for instance, finding out that the particular genre of music I instinctually enjoyed was ‘gay’.
But I like it, isn’t that the whole idea?
I’ve noticed that when the creative efforts of the present are derided it’s because, in the eyes of the ‘haters’, modernization has somehow ruined a sacred process that didn’t need fixing in the first place. In terms of animation, I think there’s something magical about a huge team of people collaborating together to render each cell by hand, nary a computer in site. Certainly the barriers to entry with a process like this (an ability to draw well and a near unlimited supply of patience etc.) tends to keep out the casual riffraff. But this kind of leave-it-to-the-experts, country club, gated-community/ivory tower mentality to creativity is just the un-evolved primate, fear-of-death-and-the-future part of their brains talking. Just go out and make shit; pay their chest-beating no mind.
We’re living in an age when someone like beeple can, with the help of a microprocessor and a generous swath of free time, create his own distinct flavor of audio/visual experience (like the attached) without having to compromise with bean-counters, standards and practices or really anyone for that matter…all from the comfort of home. When else in the past would someone fund a bizarre little film like this? With it’s quirky soundtrack and abstract visual accompaniment where each-and-every blip and beat has its peculiar, candy-colored visual equivalent.
We are in the age where anyone can make what they want and get it out there for virtually nothing. That’s the dream, right? Fuck yes; what a wonderful time to be alive.
Wired has a great write-up on IV.10 which is definitely worth checking out, as is the other beeple stuff we’ve posted; it’s all worth your time. Also, the aforementioned Scott Benson’s The Murf is fan-fucking-tastic; if you haven’t seen it yet don’t hesitate to click that last hyperlink.
Cheers to Sam Lillard and Santi Adams for sending this one our way. Thanks!
[ IV.10 ]
posted by respondcreate on Apr. 17, 2012 in Videos | tags: abstract, animation, beeple, bizarre, colorful, electronic music, hd, trippy
Changing The Rain
Just a heads-up: you might not be able to watch the video here (if you can’t then click here). Why? VEVO. My disdain for the service is well documented but I’ve softened a bit and think a personal grudge towards a distribution model (with an unnecessarily shitty user experience) is a poor reason to not share these tasty bits with y’all. Plus, if MADE ever uploads a HD version to their Vimeo account I’ll just update the post. You dig?
Anywho, this shit is doooooooope; a glorious four-and-a-half minute technicolor psychedelic romp down geometric wormholes, past kaleidoscopic alien abductions and into the mouth of God. Full 1080p too, so get this shit full screen.
Pete Fowler directed this one and, if you’re not familiar with his work, I recommend you head over to his Flickr account immediately; his bold graphic style is a treat. Oh, and if The Horrors intoxicating blend of starry-eyed, psychedelic, rambling synth-drenched rock is your thing I recommend you check out Skying for lots more of the same. It’s the kind of album you’d want on a road trip; it’s cinematic but contemplative, bright and big but a bit lazy, too. It’s all rather nice really and easily worth the ten bucks.
A HUUUUGE thanks is due to Naz for sending this one our way…cheers!
[ The Horrors - Changing The Rain ]
posted by respondcreate on Apr. 16, 2012 in Videos | tags: aliens, bizarre, colorful, geometric, hd, kaleidoscope, made visual studio, music video, pete fowler, psychedelic, spiritual, the horrors, trippy, vevo sucks, wormhole
Psychic Land
The first thought that popped into my brain after watching the attached: I want to go to there. The second? 2veinte should develop this into a 30 minute show. No dialogue, no traditional story arcs; just weird, bursting-with-candy-color visuals backed with arcadey, reminiscent-of-a-Casio-keyboard-demo-mode tunes. WHOWOULDN’TWANTTOWATCHTHATAMIRITE??
2veinte is giving away free Psychic Land posters to fifty random fans of theirs on Facebook. They don’t seem like the constantly-spamming-your-newsfeed-type so if you want a chance to win some rad art for your wall you might want to head on over; the effort-expended-to-possible-reward ratio skews generously in your favor.
Oh, and be sure to check out Let’s Face Symmetry – also by 2veinte – which we posted back in August.
[ Psychic Land ]
posted by respondcreate on Apr. 08, 2012 in Videos | tags: 2veinte, alien, animation, bizarre, colorful, geometric, hd, lolwat, lucas totino tedesco, pablo gostanian, wat
My Bloody Lad
File Under: LOLWAT
Visuals by Dead Walter (a.k.a. Cyrille Chauvin, Guillaume Dousse, Thibaud Petitpas and Pierre Rutz) with ‘choons from Dirty Deeds. Enjoy!
[ My Bloody Lad - Dead Walter - WIZZdesign ]
posted by respondcreate on Apr. 02, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, bizarre, colorful, cyrille chauvin, dark, dead walter, french, gobelins, guillaume dousse, hd, horror, lolwat, pierre rutz, thibaud petitpas, wizz
The Bizarre World of Paul Robertson
I’ve found it’s always worth-my-while to periodically check in on Paul Robertson. My latest visit to his tumblr yielded a heady crop of candy-colored, bizarre and dark pixel art that I’ve collected here for you to peruse at your leisure. I was also pleased to discover he recently contributed some art/animations to Wizorb, a Breakout-meets-Zelda game by Tribute that’s available on Windows, Linux, OSX and the 360. After parting with the very-reasonable three-dollar asking price I spent a handful of hours combating evil in Gorudo and am happy to report it was worth every penny. In addition to Paul’s always-excellent pixel art, Wizorb‘s wonderful, nostalgia-activating soundtrack and just-right difficulty progression keeps a firm-but-friendly grip on your attention. So yeah, pick that shit up if you’re looking for something to fun to play; you can’t beat the price.
[ Paul Robertson ]
posted by respondcreate on Mar. 25, 2012 in Pictures | tags: bizarre, colorful, dark, illustration, paul robertson, pixel art, trippy, video games
The Wonder Hospital
“A surreal journey through a mysterious hospital that alters the perception of physical beauties.”
File under: LOLWAT
Today’s dose of bizarre is graciously provided by Beomsik Shimbe Shim, a South Korean-born filmmaker/animator currently working in Los Angeles. Enjoy the ride!
[ "The Wonder Hospital" (Full version - official) ]
posted by respondcreate on Mar. 20, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, beomsik shimbe shim, bizarre, dark, hd, lolwat, mind bending, surreal
Metamorphosis
“What you will see is an entirely fictional and completely unendorsed representation. [Though we humbly suggest Hunter S Thompson might have liked it.] We are devoted fans paying homage. No disrespect is intended.”
We usually don’t post ads but, then again, most ads aren’t as Gonzo-fantastic as this. It was conceived by String Theory and expertly-executed at Buck for Good Books, a unique service with a great mission: “Every time anyone buys a book through the Good Books website, 100% of the retail profit from every sale goes to support communities in need through Oxfam projects. As a result, charitable donation is built into an everyday activity at no extra cost. No one at Good Books is paid and we have zero operating costs. All time, professional services and resources are donated.” The visuals are top-notch and the narration is spot-on…enjoy!
A big thanks is due to Dan Allen for sending this our way! Cheers!
[ Good Books - Metamorphosis ]
posted by respondcreate on Mar. 20, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, antfood, bizarre, buck, gonzo, good books, hd, hunter s thompson, trippy