Not new in the business, the ‘indie’ act has successfully issued singles in Manila in the past as "Come," "Soul Searching" (which won as NU Rock Awards "Song of the Year" in 2003) and cover of Sade’s "No Ordinary Love." Though bereft of marketing machinery then, they made strides using non-traditional means as flyers, Internet groups and websites, text messaging and, of course, by gigging in underground havens.

But bigger things lie ahead for the group now that their latest album, "Influence," is under recording giant, EMI Philippines. The sound they’ve been known for (sonic-soundscapes of Emo-leanings) have remained the same but with a major label behind them, their latest single "Alert The Armory" is beginning to reach markets previously inaccessible.

Still, Urbandub would not delude itself. During a recent interview, they said that though they expect to break into mainstream locally, they are not just pinning their hopes in conquest of Manila. Instead, they aim to breakthrough internationally— something that their company EMI can do for them if cards are played right.

"We know it has not been done before and that the international arena is far different game from making it in Manila," says Urbandub vocalist, Gabby Alipe. "But by doing rock music ‘organically,’ we hope people would not see us as just a band that delivers rock tunes but one that delivers songs of boundless emotions from sadness to happiness. Since emotions are universal, then we hope this thrust would transcend barriers."

We listened to some of the tracks from "Embrace" during the interview and, true enough, the sound they are into are so gutturally intense of punishing musicality, complicated arrangements and raw lyrics. Urbandub has strong chance of making it internationally but even if they don’t, "Influence" remains one of the best local rock albums out there.

How did they achieve this?

"EMI gave us free hand to choose our materials, did not give a deadline and allowed us to record in Cebu," says Gabby. "The last was especially conducive because we got to record in a studio that did not pressure us to be mindful of time. This setup freed us to be creative and perfectionist as we were able to review the music every step of the way then improve on each phase."

Another secret is the band’s strategy of testing the waters for the songs that eventually made the final cut of "Embrace." While gigging constantly in Cebu, Urbandub was able to pulse-in on new tracks that deserve posterity on record based on audience feedback.

"Then again, it’s not as if that’s our primary concern," says Gabby. "It’s nice if people would appreciate our music but even before that, our prerequisite was to be happy with the new songs before its rolled out. Fortunately, that’s what happened in ‘Embrace.’"

Other members of Urbandub are guitarist John Dinopol, bassist Lalay Lim and drummer Jan Mendoza.

#2: Tower Records

Below is Top 10 albums based on sales in Tower Records outlets between Nov. 7 – 13: (1) "Strike Whilst The Iron Is Hot" – Orange & Lemons, (2) "Pasko I" – San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra, (3) "Versions And Beyond" – M.Y.M.P., (4) "Thanks for the Memories" –Rod Stewart, (5) "Memories Of Love: Live" – Various Artists, (6) "Nina Live!" – Nina, (7) "Teri de Sario" – Teri de Sario, (8) "Moonlight Serenade" – Carly Simon, (9) "Unplugged" – Alicia Keys and, (10) "Party On Weekends" – Various A