Twin Shadow - Turn Me Up

I first encountered Twin Shadow through his inclusion on GTAV's in-game 'World-Wide FM' radio station. His song "Old Love/New Love" was an infectiously catchy new-wave revivalist pop track that instantly made me stand up and pay attention.

With two albums and a novel(!) already underneath his belt and a third follow-up titled Eclipse slated for next year, Twin Shadow (a.k.a. George Lewis Jr.) is making some serious power moves lately. The first single off of his aforementioned upcoming album is titled "Turn Me Up" and features a music video that feels just as spacey, brooding and heart-sullen as his impeccable production.

"Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" Premiere Trailer

Did anyone else sincerely think that this movie was going to happen? I had my doubts after what, nine years of development time between the release of the first film and this one? Fortunately, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller are as good as their word and A Dame to Kill for is finally seeing release this year.

From the looks of the trailer, the events of this film take place a little before and after the first Sin City. Mickey Rourke is back as the lovably gravel-toned Marv, Bruce Willis as the hard-nosed cop John Hartigan, plus some stunning newcomers through the likes of Josh Brolin, Ray Liotta, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. And who could forget the lovely Jessica Alba? August 22nd needs to hurry its ass up.

Trusts and Estates (NSFW)

Based on an overhead conversation a few years ago, Trusts and Estates is a pen and ink animated short by recent CalArts graduate Jeanette Bonds.  Four lawyers sit around boozing it up and shooting the sh*t after a long day of work.  What starts off as some casual banter turns into a full vulgarity fest.  A one-up contest of a rather graphic nature, this is a conversation I really would have loved to hear in real life. NSFW for language, the visuals are G-rated.

William Trubridge - Freediver

There's something truly beautiful and yet terrifying about watching this docu-short of William Trubridge, a freediver. While there's an entire universe out there, the ocean is also commonly referred to as the Great Unknown, and Mr. Trubridge willingly dives to it's depths unassisted (well, as far as humanly possible). As he prepares for the dive, he takes his time on the water's surface relaxing. As any energy spent at the surface is needless and wasteful, he finds his sense of serenity and calm before taking his journey. Created by The Avant Garde Diaries.

Dumb Day by Kevin Eskew

We've already showcased several of Cartoon Brew's shorts from the Student Animation Festival, but none quite so abstract as Kevin Eskew's  Dumb Day.  He takes slife of life examples, and twists them into something very bizarre.  The art style is a basic black and white, sketch-like style, and the animation is purposefully twitchy, giving it a sense of discomfort.  Which of course just adds to the abstract feel of it all.

Shaman Fighters

From Martin Carolo comes the mostly black-and-white animation Shaman Fighters.  This harsh, angular, and stylized short shows us the story of a chopped down tree, and includes scenes to suggests the tree has a soul and is freed by it's "death." A lot of surrealistic imagery that makes it a bit of a trip, but fun to watch.  I loved the occasional use of twitchy animation, a technique that makes the ambiance just a tad bit uncomfortable.

London Grammar - "Wasting My Young Years"

UK-based trio London Grammar just released their debut music video, 'Wasting My Young Years.' Around since only 2012, they have a beautifully ethereal, haunting sound.  The vocalist's voice alone is somehow light, yet with a hint of darkness, and raw emotion behind it. Which makes the black & white, 35mm shot video perfect for a song full of sad memories. Don't forget to also check out the behind-the-scenes video!

Moxie by Stephen Irwin (NSFW)

Animator Stephen Irwin has a very distinct style that's showcased in his short 'Moxie'.  It's the story of a bear, who becomes a pyromaniac after losing his mother.  The story is a day-by-day rundown during a particular week in the life of our extremely disturbed beast.  Beyond murder, he commits murder, torture, and other unspeakable acts.  The art is crude, and has the look of a very old, rough animation.  The black and white certainly adds to the creepiness level.  I'd say it definitely falls under the NSFW category for it's macabre elements, and sheer WTF factor.

Midnight Wolf - Skin You Alive

The awesome Rockabilly band Midnight Woolf just recently premiered their music video for their track "Skin You Alive". Animated by Lluis Fuzzhound, it's a super fun and catchy track set to a story of a guy who just can't seem to catch a break. All coincidentally (or not?) due to the fact that he doesn't have money: Can't buy his girlfriend a ring, can't pay his rent, even losing his pants. Literally, lost his pants. It's an awesomely stylized black and white, retro-looking animation that I've already watched at least 5 times now. Don't forget to check out Midnight Woolf's Facebook too! I think I've found a new favorite band.

Troubleshooting

Cartoon Brew is continuing on with their Student Animation Festival, and today's selection comes from  Eric Ko of the Rhode Island School of Design. Troubleshooting is the animated short about a rather apathetic guy who finds himself in the middle of an apocalypse while riding the bus. He soon finds out how simple the solution is, which is not unlike most troubleshooting (Disclaimer: That statement just came from a person (me) who is not the best of computers, but it's a sentiment that has been thrown around. So I'll go with it). I loved the super-minimalistic, black and white art. Typically, something like the apocalypse would be done pretty stylized, but nope! Black and white lines was the route decided to go for his tongue-in-cheek piece.

Sparkles

There is something really entrancing about this awesome video, Sparkles. From the music to the black and white visuals, I just want to zone out a bit while watching this. Professional skater Danny Wainwright uses a Wiimote to track the positions of sparkles attached to his skateboard with an infared camera. It's a successful attempt to mix both sports and art, in a really cool way. Put together by BlipBlip.org, check out the rest of their stuff!