Illustration Friday - Tea

Being a Brit, & what with the British being obsessed with Tea I just had to do an entry for this weeks I.F.

Making the perfect cuppa is an art form & requires strict control over the ingredients and process. Luckily this baby right here does it all & makes the perfect cup of tea every time. (It's already patented too so don't even bother trying to steal the idea.)

Click for the full-sized version...

I think it's my background as an engineer that means I really enjoy drawing Wallace & Grommit style daft machines. Maybe it's my way of rebelling against all the theory - "Nah, an udder funnel - that has to work!!".

Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch

I'm a relative latecomer in discovering Regina Spektor, the cutesy singer/songwriter from New York. I surprisingly have Drowned in Sound to thank for the tip-off. Their recommendations are normally obscure & quirky just for the sake of it, but this time the single 'Us' I instantly fell in love with. I'm no vocal expert, but listening through her back-catalogue of albums, there can't be a huge number of people that can use their voice as she does. It's not all about the voice though, her lyrics are quirky and witty and the overall songwriting is fascinating.

This is not the kind of music you can put on and have in the background though, as you can't help but be captivated by it. It came as a shock after deciding I immediately wanted the new album, 'Soviet Kitsch', that almost every UK online store has a huge wait for the CD while they import it. I don't remember wanting an album so badly for ages, my girlfriend thinks I'm mad (& thinks I'm obsessed with Regina). Anyway, two ebay auctions later & a few emails it is hopefully on its way to me!

You can listen to most of the albums in part on her website www.reginaspektor.com or find out more about her at BigHassle.com


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