Speaking of obsession - I love, love LOVE this video from Chow about John Nese and his store, Galcos Soda Pop Stop in LA which stocks around 500 different indie and unusual sodas from around the world.
"John Nese is the proprietor of Galcos Soda Pop Stop in LA. His father ran it as a grocery store, and when the time came for John to take charge, he decided to convert it into the ultimate soda-lovers destination. About 500 pops line the shelves, sourced lovingly by John from around the world. John has made it his mission to keep small soda-makers afloat and help them find their consumers. Galcos also acts as a distributor for restaurants and bars along the West Coast, spreading the gospel of soda made with cane sugar (no high-fructose corn syrup if John can avoid it)."
I'm actually shocked that Warren Ellis hasn't been all over this already
"In the Ukraine, a country where females are victims of sexual trafficking and gender oppression, a new tribe of empowered women is emerging. Calling themselves the “Asgarda”, the women seek complete autonomy from men. Residing in the Carpathian Mountains, the tribe is comprised of 150 women of varying ages, primarily students, led by 30 year-old Katerina Tarnouska. Reviving the tribal traditions of the Scythian Amazons of ancient Greek mythology, the Asgarda train in martial arts, taught by former Soviet karate master, Volodymyr Stepanovytch, and learn life skills and sciences in order to become ideal women. Little physical documentation existed on the tribe, until recently, when renowned French photographer, Guillaume Herbaut, met the Asgarda back in 2004 in the midst of the Orange Revolution."
So, after 3 months away I'm back with a head buzzing with ye olde 90s music - when file sharing meant a virgin stack of C90s, the highest compliment was getting a hand lettered and intricately decorated track listing replete with multiple inside jokes and the primo super-sekrit FTP server looked unerringly like your friend's hot and musically adventurous older sister who almost certainly completely moulded your budding adolescent sexuality and is the reason why you now go and see every Zooey Deschanel film the day it comes out.
"Claiming this track merely "features" the xx is a bit disingenuous on the group's part. The only elements that survive from Florence's hyper-dramatic version of the song are Florence Welch's vocals and the song's harp."
