MUSIC VIDEO: In Melbourne, crocheted octopi fly across the city, like in Wax Tailor‘s single ‘Time To Go’ with Aloe Blacc. Australian studio Oh Yeah Wow, who produced the video, describe themselves as a “rag tag pack of unlicensed pyrotechnicians, unappreciated comedians and unknown celebrities” pursuing magic and innovation. Quite a claim, but I wouldn’t argue they fall short. The Melbourne studio headed up by Seamus Spilsbury and Darcy Prendergast received some attention last year for their cyclic Gotye video ‘Easy Way Out,’ featuring a montage of Gotye in various states of breakdown frequently interrupted by rotoscoped and stop-motion mini-fires or blood splurts.

I am their biggest fan, however, for what they did with Stereolove‘s ‘I Wish That.’ This somewhat epic video in a traditional animation style features a revolution you can dance to, and it’s a fun journey to watch unfold.

Enjoy all there is to enjoy of Oh Yeah Wow at their website ohyeahwow.com. Oh yeah, and totally follow @OhYeahWow on Twitter; they really are comedians.

BLOG: The tagline of Netherlands studio of Job, Joris & Marieke is All Things Splendid, and indeed they do. Their Russian wintertime short ‘How Snjezhi Tjelovek Found His Ancestors’ is touching and quirky. Check out their short ‘Happy Camper’ (directed by Job) to get a better sense of their style, or visit jobjorisenmarieke.nl.

BLOG: TXT ISLAND by British director Chris Gavin was a nominee for ‘Best Short Film’ at the 2010 British Animation Awards. Not hard to see why – this is stop-motion as we like to see it: a clever twist of everyday objects transformed into an entirely new story. Check out Gavin’s site to see more of his work.

BLOG: A stopmotion Gameboy dance-off from Czech filmmaker Martin Kužniar.

BLOG: Someone really like ducks… it’s cool, no shade. You can hear more duck-sounds on LIBYTHTH’s new album by the same name. For now, here’s ‘It’s My Beak.’

BLOG: Is this what it is like to grow up? First year Royal College of Art student Tim Divall seems to think so. He’s done a fantastic job of capturing the anxiety we all feel about adulthood.

BLOG: Kenzo’s new women’s line is called the Resort Collection. Do you get the picture? Director and collagist Mat Maitland (with beats by Buffalo Tide) helps.

MUSIC VIDEO: Devin Flynn of SuperStupid teams up with Travis Barker and Yelawolf for their newest Funky S***. Somehow, this makes perfect sense.

BLOG: Watching Joseph Pierce‘s new(ish) short The Pub may just be the highlight of your week. He’s finally let it loose online after a significant festival run, and it could be his best film using his rotoscope technique to date. In The Pub, Pierce allows the live action on top of which he’s animated to shine through even more than in his earlier films, creating a particularly disorienting sense for the viewer of what’s real and what’s a make-believe visualization of these pub-goers own demented personalities.

For example, midway through the short a homeless man wanders into the bar and grows the head of a bear. He shoves his snout down a woman’s pint glass and growls at her baby (yes, in England people bring their babies into the pub). Meanwhile, the two geezers in the corner grow tree trunks from their necks. It’s a wild world that Pierce has created, and a dark one at that.

No wonder Pierce cites Czech animator Jan Švankmajeris as one of his greatest inspirations. Both directors make films that play with the ways experimental animation in live action can push narrative, and always with a dry comedic tone. Like Švankmajeris, a new release from Pierce is something not to be missed. Visit his website to see more.

MUSIC VIDEO: A playful new video from sci-fi video director Rafael Bonilla Jr for Brighton-based goth band Esben and the Witch. There’s so much going on in this video, it does exactly what the best claymation should – provoke questions about what lies underneath and enfolded within the narrative, rather than offer obvious plot lines. Make sure to check out the whole album, Wash the Sins Not Only The Face, out now on Matador.