Lunchbox's legendary lost album "Evolver" is a masterful blend of fuzzy bubblegum pop and analog abstraction, and the title song illustrates this in fine fashion. It's free-wheeling psychedelic pop at its best, echoing contemporaries like The Apples In Stereo and The Boo Radleys, while nailing down the jangly pop template that's been Lunchbox's bedrock since. The songs dissolves into a chaotic tape-edited outro, a perfect way to begin this unique and adventurous album.

Evolver

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Lunchbox - Evolver

The Umbrellas debut album was one of the surprise hits of an otherwise grim 2021. Channeling sold gold influences like The Pastels, Comet Gain, Orange Juice and The Aislers Set, The Umbrellas represent the fertile San Francisco Bay Area scene at its most pop-tastic. Following on from 3 sell-out pressings of their debut album and tours with everyone from labelmates Papercuts to Fucked Up, the band is now back with an absolute blinder of a sophomore album, a future greatest hits compilation bursting with brilliant pop moments.

"Fairweather Friend" is bigger in almost every way than their self-titled debut, featuring sterling songwriting and arranging, bigger and more nuanced production, and terrifically assured vocals all around. The Umbrellas leap forward with "Fairweather Friend" is reminiscent of similar growth that we saw with second albums from Veronica Falls, Allo Darlin’ and The Pains of Being Pure At Heart; while the concept remains consistent, the execution is bigger, bolder and ultimately even more satisfying. It's always thrilling to see a young band swing for the fences and succeed, and we're looking forward to hearing where The Umbrellas go next and watching "Fairweather Friend" enter the indiepop canon.

Fairweather Friend

The Umbrellas - Three Cheers!

Lunchbox's legendary lost album "Evolver" is lost no more! Sparklingly remastered for the album’s twentieth (and a few!) anniversary and available on CD, cassette and (for the first time) vinyl, this psychedelic masterpiece fills a crucial hole in the band's discography. Recorded in the couple's 1990s Oakland basement between stays in Berlin, tour dates in London, and dreamy sojourns up the rugged Mendocino coastline, "Evolver" fuses jangle and jungle, ambient and dub into a striking pop statement.

Marrying refined songcraft to the serendipitous magic hidden in half-broken reel-to-reel tape decks and vintage synthesizers, the "Evolver" plants its pop flag on the terrain of magic and mystery. Dreamy jangle pop gems emerge seamlessly out of a sea of loops, drones, and dubbed-out horn fanfares, cascades of tape echo feedback and whispers from outer space providing a trance-inducing backdrop to the pop sensibility for which Lunchbox is well-known. Hook-filled and hypnotic, "Evolver" is a sublime slice of post-pop psychedelia that you won't want to miss.

For this special and long-overdue reissue we've raided the bands vaults for three previously unreleased tunes that add extra dimensions to the album's uniquely trippy flow. And for the vinyl heads we're pressing this as a double LP for maximum fidelity and playability, including a *vinyl-only* fourth side of beats, loops, interludes and puzzling aural ephemera, all taken directly from the original master tapes. Super cool!

Lunchbox - Tone Poem

Over the course of a decade playing together and making records as Jeanines, the duo of Alicia Jeanine and Jed Smith have charted a distinctive course through the history of pop, docking at ports of call as varied as the 60s folk of early Fairport Convention and Vashti Bunyan, the sunshine/soft pop of Margo Guryan and Laura Nyro, and of course indiepop touchstones like Dear Nora and the post-Black Tambourine projects of Pam Berry.

Their new album "How Long Can It Last" finds Jeanines grappling with serious themes of personal and professional upheaval, adding weight to their finest set of songs yet. With lyrics that look deeply at time and its reverberations, connections and ruptures, songs like "Coaxed A Storm," "What's Done Is Done" and "On and On" combine richly melodic tunes and crisp arrangements to stellar effect. While the themes might be heavy, the melodies and harmonies are simply heavenly, elevating these economical songs and giving each the feeling of a lost classic.

How Long Can It Last

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Jeanines - On And On

With buckets of melancholic charm and an unerring ear for a great tune, Autocamper are the perfect pop tonic to our Age of Anxiety. “What Do You Do All Day?” is their debut album and their wide-eyed reflections on unrequited romances, bedroom tiffs and hungover misdemeanors effortlessly retrofit the jangle pop sounds of the '80s without any trace of C86 revisionism.

Boisterous, lovable songs like “Again,” “Foxes” and "Proper" hearken back to the DIY roots of the early Flying Nun and Postcard label bands, groups who were as inspired by punk and post-punk as by 60s jangle and 70s AM radio pop. Fresh and utterly timeless -- not twee, not anorak, not lucky, just pop. It’s these truths that distinguish them from their peers, the hollow strains of Instagram Indie and the corporate pop that forces us to be joyful.


What Do You Do All Day?

Autocamper - Again

from 1st album Tristesse Contemporaine (out 12/03/2012)(dirty / pschent)
Composed by Leo Hellden, Narumi Herisson, Maik
Produced by Pilooski
Mastered by Nilesh Patel at The Exchange, London
Cover Painting (La Dance) by Marie Vidon
Sleeve Design by Laurent Fétis & Sarah Martinon
℗ 2012 Tristesse Contemporaine courtesy of Dirty under exclusive license to Pschent.


04 I Didn't Know

"The Very Day"

If you're wondering if the Connecticut-born Grammyt Award winning keyboardist and composer grew up with music in the house, the answer is yes--his father Joe Porcaro was a renowned jazz drummer who played with everyone from Sinatra to Stan Getz to Madonna. He also played on hundreds of film and television scores including The Wild Bunch, I Dream Of Jeannie and Edward Scissorhands. He also founded the Percussion Institute of Technology and later the drum department at the Los Angeles Music Academy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_College_of_Music). So, yeah music was the lifesblood of the Porcaro household and at very young ages, Steve and his brothers Mike and Jeff went into the family business. How early of an age you might be wondering? Well, at 17 when most of us were finishing our last year of high school and thinking about who and who wouldn't go with us to the prom, Steve was playing with Gary Wright's band on his 1976 Dream Weaver tour. A year later while most of us were fumbling our way through our first year of college, Steve and his brothers were in Boz Scaggs's band. In 1978 Steve and his brother Jeff along with a few other session playing pals formed their own band called Toto. How'd that work out? Well, 50 million albums later, I'd say it worked out very well, thank you. From "Hold The Line" to "Rosanna" to "Africa" Toto had a procession of hits, became one of the biggest bands on the planet and went on to compose the music for David Lynch's Dune. Steve left the fold in 1987 and went on to compose and score for countless film and television projects, including From Dusk Til Dawn 2, Eddie Murphy's Metro and he did all the original music for Justified. This is just a partial list, by the way--he also wrote the song "Human Nature" which Michael Jackson recorded on his Thriller album, the beginning of several compositions he wrote for Jackson to record. Considered one of the pioneers of analog synths, Porcaro's inventive loops appeared on works by everyone from Elton John to Don Henley. When it comes to artists he's collaborated with, here's a list that's going to knock you out: Hall and Oates, Earth Wind and Fire, Sheena Easton, Diana Ross, Warren Zevon, Jefferson Airplane, Yes, and Michael McDonald. Also a partial list. And speaking of Yes, Porcaro was good friends with Yes's Chris Squire and played in his band The Chris Squire Experiment. Porcaro's second solo album The Very Day is one of 2025's real bright spots. Featuring guest appearances by Stan Lynch, Jude Cole, Michael McDonald, Gardner Cole and his Toto pal David Paich, The Very Day is a stirring song cycle of effortless pop melodies, rootsy grooves and insanely catchy hooks. It's pure magic. And this conversation felt the same. Steve's an open book and a lovely guy and I can't wait for you to meet him, 

www.steveporcaromusic.com
www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereo)
www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com)
www.alexgreenbooks.com

IG + BLUESKY: @emberspodcast
Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)


Stereo Embers The Podcast 0464: Steve Porcaro (Toto)

Chapter 249 of 266

Enter the enigmatic world of "TAFFETA," a musical tapestry woven from the threads of consciousness and tragedy. Born from a single night of profound dreaming, this ambitious project embarks on an exploration of the human psyche through the language of instrumental music.

This is a five-year project, comprising of what will eventually end at 266 chapters, each is a standalone piece of sonic artistry, "TAFFETA" unfolds like a novel, with each composition serving as a chapter in a larger narrative. Crafted with meticulous care and creative fervor, every piece is birthed within the span of a week, capturing the essence of inspiration in its purest form.

But "TAFFETA" is more than just a collection of songs; it's a journey of the soul. Set against the backdrop of loss and longing, the project follows the story of a woman who slips into a coma following the untimely death of her husband. Through the evocative power of music, listeners are transported into her world, where emotions ebb and flow like the tides of a restless sea.

Week by week, each chapter of "TAFFETA" unfolds on SoundCloud, inviting audiences to immerse themselves in its haunting beauty. From cinematic compositions to haunting electronic soundscapes, each piece adds a layer to the intricate tapestry of sound, weaving a narrative that transcends the boundaries of language.

As listeners embark on this sonic voyage, they are invited to ponder the mysteries of existence, to confront the depths of sorrow and the resilience of the human spirit. "TAFFETA" is not merely a musical project; it's an experience—a testament to the transformative power of music to touch hearts, stir souls, and awaken the imagination.

If you wish to take a dive into everything that has come before:
The TAFFETA Albums each contain 15 consecutive tracks and are available for free, exclusively on Bandcamp.

TAFFETA VOL. 16 now available exclusively on Bandcamp https://belialpelegrim.bandcamp.com/album/taffeta-vol-16


COLLECT THEM ALL!
TAFFETA VOLUMES 1-15 are all available on Bandcamp
https://belialpelegrim.bandcamp.com/

COVER YOUR TORSO WITH TAFFETA! Check out the official TAFFETA t-shirt!
https://belialpelegrim.bandcamp.com/merch/belial-pelegrim-official-taffeta-design

The TAFFETA Playlist is always kept up to date:
soundcloud.com/belial-pelegrim/sets/taffeta-a-266-part-musical?si=d46fc7ad1b50446dadc7ce3ffe1a1b02&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Taffeta 249

TAFFETA | 249

www.openlab.fm | 106.4FM in Ibiza & Formentera
Check the full tracklist on our website: https://openlab.fm/news/observatory-114-sungate-with-teik-aro-hakk

Welcome to episode number 113 of Observatory by Sungate
Teik Aro, whose stellar release drops tomorrow on our label, delivers 60 minutes of a well-stitched tapestry of sounds both technical and colourful, weaving throughout a few tracks from his forthcoming debut on our imprint.
In the second hour, label co-founder Fran Domingo finds the formula that sums form and function — a classy hour of loopy, entrancing techno numbers for high-octane audio engines.
Art and animation by Abel Fernández.

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Android: bit.ly/OlAppAndroid


Observatory 114 – Sungate [with Teik Arô & Hakk]

Memory Bleach out on Yippee Ki Yay and Burger Records in December 2018.

All songs Written, Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered by Alex Capistran at Creamy in January 2018.

Bass on Elevated and Virtual Virtues tracked by Chris Goranson
Keys on Virtual Virtues tracked by Brittany Constance Goldman
Bass on Hourglass tracked by Carson Braymer
Art Work: Jaime Zuverza

Memory Bleach

WURVE