Goodbye all!

Hey all! I’ll be shutting Little Squall down, and focusing all of my work into The Gainsborough! Be sure to update all your links!

thegainsborough.wordpress.com

My new work! Check it out! videogames x fashion… come and see!

Little Squall reboot!

I’m undergoing some major changes, so I’ll see you all when I see you!

Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger.

Stronger rarely meanders around the unsightly pop territory of today’s Auto-tune and gyrating club beats. Instead, little miss Reba comes back in vocal full-force, harkening back to the days when pop music was more accurately defined by pop rock, complete with an excellent band and of course, those golden pipes. She’s grown some country storytelling vibes, and we’re just glad to have her back…

Read the rest at YAM Magazine!

xxxo,
Jay de Belen

Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto.

Paint yourself a picture: thousands of celebrity look-a-likes dressed in their nightclub best, ecstatic chatter from lips of every Botoxed shape and colour, coalescing into one giant roar. A short black Gucci dress here, a short black Cavalli dress there, and mountains of MAC products caked on the faces of a the nu-girl power generation. There’s maybe hundreds of low v-necks, mimicking the “Guido couture” of the Viva Italia-rat pack: Ronnie, Vinny, Pauly D and The Situation. There’s a sense of vibrant tranquility, and once the strobelights start dancing, the rockstar DJ emerges from the floor. The crowd burst into joyous ululation with claps and cheers – it’s like Madonna has just entered the room. Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall opens up in the night air…

Read the rest at YAM Magazine!

xxxo,
Jay de Belen

LIGHTS’ Siberia.

Most people like to get their Vanilla Rooibos on when it gets cold. Wrapped in the ever-comforts of a cozy bedroom, a warm-as-the-sun record makes for a satisfactory fireplace replacement. For atmospheric reasons, a dark and dreary soundtrack isn’t first choice for enjoying time under the sheets – that’s what a bad break-up and an auto-tuned Drake single is for. But, Toronto-based LIGHTS (born Valerie Poxleitner, go figure) and her sophomore Siberia is an icy affair; the spacey synthesizers and cool dubstep influence are making me chilly…

Read the rest at YAM Magazine!

xxxo,
Jay de Belen

OMG

THE HOLY SPEARIT HAS COME AND SLAYED US ALL, DIVAS BEWARE.

In all seriousness though, “Criminal” is her most impressive video for the Femme Fatale era. I mean, “I Wanna Go” was cheeky and fun and definitely a right move for the song. But “Criminal” and its bad ass gunplay, gorgeous opening scene and a cool rain of bullets a la Wachowski brothers… this video really plays to the whole femme fatale theme. Brava, Holy Spearit.

Also, that is real-life beau Jason Trawick playing the knight in shining armor. Or rather, tough leather-wearing beast on a motorcycle, with a True Blood-esque back tattoo.

Ugh, I love it. True stan. On another note, anyone know who that lace dress in the opening is by?

xxxo,
Jay de Belen