Philly’s Another Michael have just released their new album Wishes To Fulfill via Run For Cover. The album was produced by the band and longtime collaborator Scoops Dardaris, and made in both Philly’s Headroom Studios and the Ferndale, NY house that Another Michael made their debut LP New Music and Big Pop, and its sessions turned into not one but two new albums; Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down will come out next year. Wishes To Fulfill is a breezy, nine-song, 29-minute indie folk/pop album with elements that range from country to sophisti-pop, so it’s fitting that the band’s list of albums that influenced it ranges from Alex G to Prefab Sprout to Merle Haggard. They picked six albums total with commentary on each one, and you can stream the new LP and read their list below.
Alex G – Rocket
The music on Wishes to Fulfill spans about four years of writing. It’s hard for me to stick with one concept or sonic pallet because I get inspired by so many things as times moves along. I look to Alex G for inspiration, someone who can fit organic and synthetic elements into the record and it all makes sense. I really could have picked any album of his, but this was where he really introduced those country influences and gave us those experimental noisy tracks too. Those songs feel so much more powerful when there’re less examples of similar songs on tracklists, and they just come barging in the door screaming at you. -Michael
Merle Haggard – 1996
I found this album through an interview with Will Oldham where he talks about Merle’s cover of Iris Dement’s “No Time to Cry.” It’s one of the saddest songs I’ve ever heard, and his version on this album is so good. But then he kicks it into overdrive with what has been my new favorite party song ever since I heard it, “Beer Can Hill.” Such a great groove, kinda has a loose jam band feel while being extremely catchy. This whole album was my introduction to him and I’ve been pretty stuck on it ever sense, along with his album 1994. -Michael
Mary Chapin Carpenter – The Dirt and the Stars
This was in heavy rotation for me when it came out in late summer 2020. Not only is it perfect for that time of year, but also just perfect in the morning for making breakfast or coffee, going out on a drive to somewhere that starts when the sun’s rising. It’s such a dynamic recording, all the instrumentation swells beautifully, sometimes the band really rocks out too. I feel like this record should be heard by more people! It’s inspiring to hear artists who have been around for decades keep going. -Michael
Prefab Sprout – Jordan: The Comeback
This record like nothing else, so hard to pin down. Paddy McAloon and the gang make music with so many different sounds and feelings. Similarly to Alex G, it’s that limitless possibility of a record’s voice that makes the process so fun to me. Sharing a cohesive statement while not getting trapped in a single aesthetic too much. -Michael
Big Thief – U.F.O.F./Two Hands
What more can ya say? These two records are modern day pacesetters for folk rock. They are profound, very fun, and beautifully rough around the edges. I think this era of Big Thief tore apart some aesthetic gates. Previously, their records (like Masterpiece and Capacity, which are amazing) I think followed the rules a little bit more from a production standpoint. They sounded very polished and “correct” for the time of release and also the resources the band had access to at the time. But U.F.O.F./Two Hands is when I think Big Thief actually stopped caring about what sounded “correct” in favor of what felt the most like them. The insanely loud vocal mix on “Century,” the “f—k it, just drums, acoustic, and vocals” approach to “Cattails,” Adrianne whisper-singing “Betsy” at the absolute rock bottom of her vocal range. It’s inspiring hear an artist breaking rules and just doing whatever feels right, especially because in this case it still works and does the songwriting justice. I think things like this give other artists permission to break conventions and do whatever feels the best to them. -Nick
Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy
This sounds kinda crazy – but Houses of the Holy is a record with a short tracklist that’s choc full of deliberate bangers from so many different stylistic directions. And it really still just sounds like Led Zeppelin. It could be my favorite album of theirs (unpopular opinion) because there is soo much fun in the variety, and their extending boundaries of what a Zeppelin hit could sound like. Wishes to Fulfill doesn’t sound anything like this album, but the framework is the real influence. We’d like to think that Wishes offers a sonic variety spanning from tunes like the title track on track 8, to even “Piano Lessons” on track 9. “Candle” is influenced by a completely different world than “Water Pressure,” as is “Baseball Player” from “Research.” Organizing this record was such a fun exercise in expanding the boundaries of what our songs could be like, and even what an album could feel like for Another Michael. -Nick
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Another Michael — 2023 Tour Dates
10/13 – Troy, NY @ No Fun
10/14 – Garwood, NJ @ Crossroads ^
10/15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Government Center
10/16 – Columbus , OH @ Rumba Cafe
10/17 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
10/18 – Dubuque, IA @ The Fox Den
10/19 – Omaha @ Reverb *
10/21 – Denver @ Globe Hall *
10/22 – Salt Lake City @ Kilby Court *
10/24 – Seattle @ Madame Lou’s *
10/25 – Portland @ Mississippi Studios *
10/27 – San Francisco @ Cafe Du Nord *
10/28 – Los Angeles @ Lodge Room *
10/29 – San Diego @ The Loft at UCSD *
10/30 – Santa Ana @ Constellation Room *
10/31 – Phoenix @ Valley Bar *
11/02 – San Antonio @ Paper Tiger Small Room *
11/03 – Austin @ Empire Control Room *
11/04 – Dallas @ Club Dada *
11/06 – Nashville, TN @ DRKMTTR
11/30 – New York, NY @ Knitting Factory +
12/01 – Medford, MA @ Deep Cuts +
12/02 – Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s +
12/03 – Montreal, Quebec @ Casa del Popolo
12/05 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground – Lounge +
12/06 – Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar +
12/07 – East Haven, CT @ The Beeracks +
12/08 – Philadelphia, PA @ Creep Records +
12/11 Washington DC @ Pie Shop +
^ w/ Tigers Jaw
* w/ Ratboys
+ w/ Jodi