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 An Unexpected Gem Jul 12, 2009
I bought Field Manual for half price at a local Borders in their "store reorganizing" or whatever they want to call it. (Most likely just a means of clearing out the interesting stuff to only carry the top 100.) Purchased on a whim, it turned out to be a gem. This album is just perfect for driving around town. It's sure to impress friends of any age if they're riding along in the car with you. It's indie cool but not annoying. I haven't gotten to know all the songs as intimately as some reviewers obviously have, but am looking forward to discovering favorites.
Amazing Album! Feb 21, 2009
This album is really good. Being a major Death Cab for Cutie fan, I was drawn to the handsome guitarist Chris Walla. His voice isn't as good as Ben Gibbard's, but his music does not disappoint.
Two-Fifty 8/10
The Score 9/10
Sing Again 10/10 My second favorite song on the album.
A Bird Is A Song 7/10
Geometry & C. 8/10
Everyone Needs A Home 10/10 My favorite song on the album.
Everybody On 8/10
Our Plans, Collapsing 9/10
Archer v. Light 8/10
St. Modesto 8/10
It's Unsustainable 8/10
Holes 6/10 My least favorite song on the album.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Chris Walla And Why You Should Love Him. May 28, 2008
You may remember Chris Walla as the guitarist and producer for the band Death Cab for Cutie, or maybe the DJ for KCWU 88.1 The Burg. But any young or old artist will tell you that Chris Walla remains as one of the greatest Indie Rock producers in the world. Earning production credits on more than a dozen albums in addition to Death Cab for Cutie's discography, You can hear Walla's sounds and genious glittering through albums by Nada Surf, The Long Winters, Hot Hot Heat, The Decemberists, and a possible colaberation with So Many Dynamos. But one would think that Walla would be working hard with Death Cab For Cutie on their new album instead of pushing out his own solo work right? Wrong. One would also think that if he was so busy with Death Cab, then his solo work would sound rushed and sloppy? Wrong again. Chris Walla's Feild Manual is a perfect example of an Indie Rock classic album. Mixing his past sounds along with Death Cab For Cuite chord pergressions and lyrics, Walla starts off with a ghostly song called "Two-Fifty" With very little instruments all you hear is Walla's voice singing about old Ford car companys. The first time I listened to this album my attention went straight to Walla's ghostly voice and lyrics. When the song ended I expected a similar song to steal my attention again, but instantly the punk-roc-I cant take the government anymore-type song "The Score" started playing loudly on my speakers. It was a perfect mix. Quiet song into a loud fast paced song. The rest of the album speaks for itself. A producer producing his own production. It makes perfect sense. So If you are a Death Cab For Cuite fan, and want a more happy poppy album to make up for Death Cab's darker new album "Narrow Stairs", then I would highly suggest buying Field Manual. You wont regret it.
 4-1/2 stars -- Walla to Walla! Apr 17, 2008
For those that don't know, Chris Walla is a member of Death Cab for Cutie. More than that, he is a multi-instrumentalist, but I doubt he's marketed as such; he's one of those people where if you look at the liner notes of a CD and it lists all the members of a band and what instrument they play, HIS assignment would be "everything else" (for instance, he played piano on "Soul Meets Body" while he played lead guitar on "Crooked Teeth"). He didn't split from Death Cab to put out his debut solo album Field Manual, but at any rate, it's damn good.
One surprising thing is that this is one of the rare solo albums that doesn't have a different sound from the band's usual fare (maybe that's what happens when the band DOESN'T split up). Though the rhythms don't necessarily suck you in like the music on Plans, things still work well, as evidenced by "Sing Again", "Our Plans, Collapsing" and "Geometry & C". And the lone mellow track, "It's Unsustainable", is anything but.
Even though this album was delayed, it's a good thing it came out when it did because it's just the thing you need for a spring or summer drive. So grab your sunglasses, jump in the passenger's side and study this field manual.
Anthony Rupert
Classicist Pop of the best kind Feb 18, 2008
So I was at my local indie record store a couple of weeks ago, talking to one of the employees about the meaning of music in life and how the best things grow with you or retain their meaning over time. Although the discussion started with Nirvana and that whole scene (both of us are old enough to remember that), it somehow led to Death Cab For Cutie and ultimately to this album, which the employee could not recommend enough. She was even kind enough to play me a few tracks in the store, and although that's not always the best way to process music I liked what I heard. However I was there to buy the new Nada Surf album and I have to admit that I am not the biggest Death Cab fan, so I decided to take a rain check on this one. Somehow though I was still thinking about those songs after a week and I figured why not, I'll give this a chance. I went back and the employee I mentioned above reassured me that I had made an excellent choice.
She was right.
I think what makes the album for me is the emphasis on songwriting and attention to detail - both sonically and lyrically. Sonically, Chris knows when to add the little background blips (Two-Fifty), when to go heavier on the guitars (The Score), when to add a touch of 80s-ish synth (Everyone Needs a Home), etc. Lyrically, Chris can tell a story (Our Plans, Collapsing - the tale of a breakup told in a very sympathetic and understanding manner complete with a little piano break that sounds oddly like Journey's "Don't Stop Believing") just as well as he can string together impressionistic ideas to create an overall mood (A Bird Is A Song). It all comes together with an easy, almost rootsy charm that hearkens back to everything from 80s-alt to 70s AOR all at once. I like this a lot better than, for example, Ben Gibbard's Postal Service. It has that similar dreamy feeling, just more real, grounded and earthy. In many ways this album is a direct parallel to Nada Surf's new effort, "Lucky." Both albums are thoughtful, pensive and easy to absorb.
If this is the direction pop music is taking (or even an interesting niche that's developing into more of a viable subgenre), I am going to be a lot more optimistic about the future of rock n roll as we move further into the new century.
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