Simpsons Pixels

This is such a gorgeously-animated tribute opening to the landmark American sitcom that I wish it was in an actual episode. It's not like the series has had openers that weren't as crazy or awesome as this one. Simpsons Pixels is the brainchild of animators Paul Robertson and Ivan Dixon, accompanied with music by composer Jeremy Dower.

Baby on board.

 It's a fair guess to make that if you frequent this site, you already know Robertson for his superbly intricate psychedelic pixel-art animations for Adult Swim and independent illustrations. This opener makes my heart yearn for a proper remake to the Simpsons Arcade game released in '91.

Yuki Yuki Goes Sari

What begins with a young anime girl materializing from a patchwork of pastels and brushstrokes à la Duck Amuck and Rabbit Rampage quickly becomes a hallucinatory trip through alternate realities collapsing over one another in a cascade of screen-tearing colors and ambient electronica.

Yuki Yuki Goes Sari, or as it is titled "(ゆきすすみさりゆき) Yukisusumisariyuki", is the creation of seemingly one mysterious animator who goes by the name "kwgt". We've reached out to him to learn more about the technique and influences that went into this clip, though in the meantime, let's just enjoy this psychedelic experience on repeat.

Worth Checking Out - Band Saga

I've always had an passing flirtation with rhythm and music games, but Band Saga has to be one of the most inventive and interesting twists on the genre that I've seen in a long time.

A roguelike action-RPG where every level, enemy and weapon is generated real-time through music, Band Saga follows the story of a young man whose dream of starting a band is kickstarted by the presence of a mysterious woman and an army of otherworldly baddies and abominations that are out for his head. Throughout their journey players will recruit new band-mates, adding a host of new instruments to their musical arsenal.

Road trip~

Each new hub-city and level explored will unlock new sounds, items and the ability to modify and sequence them musically in Band Saga's built-in FM Sequencer. The novelty of remixing sounds and manipulating the soundtrack to traverse the environments as well as taking down enemies could add a whole other layer of challenging complexity to the gameplay. Here's hoping the team can pull it off!

As Band Saga's kickstarter stands now, the game is just over a third of a way to its funding goal. As incentive, creators Roger Hicks and Hillmon Ancrum have put the game's entire soundtrack up for sale, including a promotional mini-comic prequel. A music-oriented RPG with a gorgeously kaleidoscopic art style reminiscent a la Scott Pilgrim and Mercenary Kings? Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

Shintaro Kago X Flying Lotus: You're Dead! Illustrations (NSFW)

(via)

Last month, electronic music maestro Steven Ellison (AKA Flying Lotus) announced that his forthcoming fifth album comically titled You're Dead! would be released this October. Normally, this alone would be enough to send me pacing frantically in giddy circles of impatient anticipation. But there's more: Flylo has enlisted the peculiar talents of Japanese body-horror artist Shintaro Kago to illustrate his album cover as well as a series of tarot cards depicting each of the 19 tracks on You're Dead! These illustrations are proof-positive that a collaboration between Lotus' mind-bending electronica and Kago's macabre artwork is a match made in Heaven(?)

Shintaro Kago is a Japanese guro horror artist and self-proclaimed kisou mangaka ("bizarre manga artist"). Born in 1969, Kago has contributed over 30 publications since his debut in 1988. Check out more of the series after the break, though tread lightly where you click. We're entering firm NSFW territory here.

The Elephant's Garden

Created as Felix Colgrave's third year animation project at RMIT University in Melbourne, The Elephant's Garden is an indescribably trippy adventure into the darkest recesses of this Aussies artist's brain. A series of increasingly bizarre creatures that inhabit a world held up by elephants do their thing in an otherworldly setting. For being entirely created by one student it's actually pretty impressive considering the five minute run time.

Mondo Taurobolium

Animator Galen Pehrson takes us on a psychedelic journey in his bizarre video for Taurobolium, conceived in the style of Mondo film (Not the awesome poster company). The 1960's subgenre was characterized by it's themes of exploitation and the taboo, following a sullen duck sauntering his way through an existential rollercoaster ride of fame and disillusionment. Strangely mesmerizing.

Žagar - "Space Medusa"

This is an awesome treat coming straight from the Hungarian indie and electro scene; Žagar was setup in 2001 and has made waves in the region with their fresh, highly atmospheric and psychedelic brand of chill electro.

Barcelona based director Kinopravada (Aka Danila) was tasked with translating their track Space Medusa, taken from their 2013 album Light Leaks. Inspired by the retro sound, the music video effectively captures the state of mind of the various protagonists during their journey, with a visual style inspired by Tartavosky films like Solaris and the works of Alejandro Jodorowsky. Sit back and enjoy the trip.

A Trip To The Outer Limits of Fractal Geometry

Benoît Mandelbrot was a maverick pioneer of advanced mathematics who championed the idea of self-similarity, the theory that patterns of self-replicating occurence perpetuate throughout all forms of life on all scales of size, ad infinitum. This principle lies at the heart of geometric fractals, symmetrical shapes that when magnified on an infinitesimal scale resemble bizarrely intricate cathedrals, reminiscent of the masterfully macabre work of H.R. Giger as if filtered through the psychedelic uncanny valley lens of Reboot. I don't think I've had my mind warped this hard since the last time I did a rewatch of Peter Chung's Æon Flux. 

Above is an awesome compilation of some of the best the Internet has to offer, and below is one of my favorites with a music track that makes it sound like a special on the Discovery Channel.

Peaking Lights - Beautiful Dub

The Wisconsin based duo Peaking Lights just recently released their latest project: Lucifer in Dub, an album comprised of dubbed-out versions of tracks from their 2012 LP, Lucifer. 'Beautiful Dub' is a remixed version of the visually trippy track they created to mark the gift of having brought a son to the world.

Director Mike Seely resorted to repurposing some vintage surf footage for the remixed version, although it doesn't quite measure up to the originals visuals, which I've found myself revisiting time and time again for it's psychedelic style and relaxing sound.

Golden Axe - Space Fire

This Simon Ward directed music video features a catwalk model traversing a series of psychedelic realities reminiscent of early 80's/90's CG, which works surprisingly well with the heavy synth sound of Space Fire. The New Zealand based duo with a Sega flavored twist, Golden Axe released their excellently titled 4th album, Liquid Bacon late last year and have been busy touring Europe ever since. If you're curious to hear more, head over to their label website and give the album a listen.

The Ampliefetes: Whizz Kid

Get your Monday going with this awesome single from this Swedish pop-rock outfit known as the Ampliefetes. The four piece rock outfit also delivered an awesome, psychedelic music video to accompany their self described 'intriguing cajun electronica' track. Despite it being two years old, the track never really got enough love in the Western regions. Give it a listen, and check out their debut album!

Take A Psychedelic Trip Into Happiness With 'Rica Reel'

I recently stumbled upon Giraud Pascal's Vimeo account and have replayed his animations on multiple ocassions, Rica Reel is probably my favorite from Giraud. With a chill track by Diplo and some really neat creature designs, be prepared for a really awesome animation that sets the mood just right. If you want a nice start to your day, I suggest you give this a watch. I can almost guarantee it'll make you instantly happy and ready for the day.

For anyone interested in the song, it's Diplo's Money Power Respect from the album Florida.

Simon Bent's Science Vs Delirium

Australian based artist, Simon Bent, created this awesome set of psychedelic facial hair. Each piece celebrates histories greatest minds by showcasing their fantastic beards and mustaches. Check out Bent's website over here.

Hit the jump for 7 more pieces.

Jeez Louise, This Is An Amazing Music Video

With psychedelic animation and a sound heavily influenced by the Beatles, this is one amazing music video for a band I've never heard of(color me interested now). Artist Maxime Bruneel was confronted by the band Secret Skwirl for this awesome project and owned it, I'm in love with this. All that's left is finding out more about the mysterious band, Secret Skwirl, as Maxime was unable to reveal the names of the two band members. 

Lotus Flower

For all you Radiohead fans out there, this second take on a music video offers a much more visually stimulating take than the original music video, which simply featured Thom Yorke dancing and not giving a crap. This take features a much more colorful and kinetic approach, with rapid shots to accompany the rythms, psychedelic visuals and beautiful lighting. Really excellent music video by ZF films.

The Knife- We Share Our Mother's Health

With all the beautiful psychedelic anmation music videos popping up on here, I thought I'd throw in a cool one I found.  A little darker than most, but catchy enough that I get my evil groove on.

Das Pop "The Game"

Enigmatic illustrator and comix artist, Will Sweeney, has concocted this sprightly and darkly Suessian music video for Das Pop's single, "The Game." It's a fun, cluttered, constantly-morphing acid trip, much like Sweeney's static work on T-shirts and in comic books. I can't think of a better way to kick off a Monday morning!

(via It's Nice That)

Boxcutter "TV Troubles"

Sabrina Ratté created this haunting, acid-dipped video for "TV Troubles," one of Boxcutter's upcoming tracks on their new album, The Dissolve which drops April 25th. The video is dripping with VHS distortion, image feedback and psychedelic deformities that perfectly backs the track's echoing grooviness. Just kick back and enjoy!

(via Constant Siege)