There's no lonely road

Manila, Philippines - The local music landscape can be a fickle thing. Bands break up (Sayonara, Franco) and artists leave for greener pastures (Here’s looking at you, Cynthia), while some bands that prosper are actually better off not existing (No further comment). And then there are bands like Ciudad: bands that only a few can “get,” but nevertheless deserve whatever sweeping declarations that their fans throw at them. Bound as bros with their hearts on their sleeves and armed with a legion of cool nerds for fans, this three-piece band made up of Mikey, Justin, and Mitch proves with their latest album, “Follow the Leader,” that they may be growing older, but their music is still tight like prom night.

Supreme sat down (in front of our respective computers) with Ciudad’s Mikey Amistoso to come up with seven things that you should know about their fifth album.

1. Make it slow: Why it took four frickin’ years.

Always thinking one album ahead, Mikey explains that as early as 2002, he was already writing songs for an album that would eventually be released in 2008. However, such was not the case for “Follow the Leader.” “Maybe there’s always a plateau for everything, because after we released “Bring Your Friends” (2008), suddenly there was nothing! This is the first album wherein I didn’t merely pull out songs from my reserve chest. We just took our time. No pressure or deadlines,” he explains.

2. Not another Korn-y reference.

Ciudad's fifth album, “Follow The Leader,” shares its title with Korn's 1998 album.

Although the album shares its title with the 1998 album of nu-metal band Korn, “Follow the Leader” came from their wanting to have an album title that stems from one of their songs. “We realized we haven’t done that before. Our previous album titles were always witty puns (2002’s brilliant “Is That Ciudad? Yes, Son, it’s Me”) or catchphrases (2005’s “It’s Like a Magic!”),” he says. As for the Korn album? Mikey has forgotten about it. “(Last week) I bumped into a guy in Makati wearing a Korn’s ‘Follow the Leader’ shirt. I was like, ‘Oh, sh*t. Oo nga pala no?’” he quips.

3. It’s like an art!

The album’s front cover is as twee as can be, thanks to Jazz Nicolas’ (Itchyworms) quirky iPad art. “I enjoy his drawings a lot, so I asked him if we could use (those) for the cover,” says Mikey. Each drawing corresponds to a song in the album. CJ de Silva was tasked to put all those together in a way that is reminiscent of their previous album’s cover.

4. There’s nothing Weezer here.

Mikey cites The Beatles and The Beach Boys as the main drives for the new album. Their first single, There’s a Lonely Road to Sunday Night, is a steady, down-tempo track that erupts into lush instrumentations once the chorus hits the fan. Using that as a gauge, one can surmise the amount of effort that has been put in this album. Mikey admits that unlike their previous album, “Follow the Leader” is less melancholic. “We’ve already done the ‘maturing’ stuff. After you mature, life goes on, and you just try to enjoy as much as possible,” he says. Mikey shares that he wanted to put a little of Mates of State’s sunshine-y vibe in the new album, which sounds like a lot of fun. “And no, there’s nothing ‘Weezer’ here,” he adds. Being compared to Weezer is kind of an annoyance for him. Sure, he wears glasses, but Mikey is more Evan Dando than Rivers Cuomo.

5. The pluses/minuses of recording.

During their 2009 foray to New York City’s CMJ Music Marathon, Mikey met +/-‘s James Baluyut, which catapulted into a beautiful friendship. Although separated by more than 8,000 miles, Mikey continued corresponding with Baluyut and managed to get his input on some of their new material. “He even suggested that we should come back to NYC and record in their studio,” he gushes. Much of Ciudad’s material comes from Mikey, but he admits that when Justin and Mitch chime in, Ciudad takes its full form. “That’s why in the album credits, we stopped delegating specific roles to each member. Now, we’re just a unit making songs; what we contribute wouldn’t matter,” he says.

Mush pit: Ciudad is more than happy to release their new album in Attraction Reaction's laidback, holhol-like atmosphere.

6. Homecourt advantage.

Twelve years ago, Kathy Gener introduced herself on Ciudad’s mailing list, which started with the words “Heelo peeps!” Nowadays, Kathy (still regretting her use of “peeps”), along with Anj Pessumal, curates a show at Route 196 called Attraction! Reaction! which showcases local indie acts. The laidback, hohol-like ambiance of A!R! makes it the perfect launching pad for Ciudad’s new album tonight. “The people who come to A!R! get us and our music!” Mikey exclaims. They launched their previous album at A!R! four years ago, so it only makes sense to keep up with tradition. “A!R! is our home, so we serve our homebase first before we tackle the world,” he says.

7. Come out in circles.

With almost two decades of being together as a band, what is it that makes Ciudad keep on keeping on? “Our mission is to make good music. I’d like to think that we do, and that our music is unlike any other from the typical local acts on radio and TV,” Mikey explains.

Ciudad may be a small band that’s unknown to the autotune-loving, tugsh-tugsh-bumping people who are probably hidden on your Facebook wall, but to the few who are “too indie to care” about daydreaming, or Alodia Gosiengfiao, only a band like Ciudad deserves all the love and affection.

Yes, the Philippine music landscape can be fickle, but good music always prevails.

* * *

Catch Attraction! Reaction! Presents: Follow The Leader Album Launch tonight at Route 196. Ang Bandang Shirley, The Strangeness, and Your Imaginary Friends play in support of Ciudad. P150 gets you in with a free beer. To RSVP, check out www.facebook.com/Attraction.Reaction/events for more details.