Chris Walla
Field Manual
Play Field Manual
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AMG Review of Field Manual
Andrew Leahey
All Music GuideAfter years of yielding the spotlight to fellow Death Cabber Ben Gibbard, Chris Walla finally moves to center stage with Field Manual. Fans of Death Cab's Transatlanticism (particularly the album's second half, with its emphasis on allads and slow-motion moodiness) will be pleased with this solo effort, since Field Manual delivers the same brand of reflective, mid-tempo indie pop. Even the faster songs seem to rarely break a sweat (with the exception of standout track "The Score"), and their quickened pace takes a backseat role to Walla's gauzy vocals and politically minded lyrics. There's nothing like "I'll Follow You into the Dark" here, no song so adorably sweet and saccharine that teenagers will clamor to slow-dance to it at their high school proms. Instead, Walla targets the head -- not the heart -- while delivering songs about crooked senators, sustainability, and American soldiers. "All hail an imminent collapse," he sings on the first track, opening the album with several seconds of layered a cappella. "You can fumble for your maps, but we're exhausted by the facts." The political commentary is sharp, and Walla smartly refuses to channel the "Rise up!" spirit of someone like Bruce Springsteen, since an indie pop release simply couldn't bear that kind of weight. But given the album's release date -- at the tail-end of January 2008, as senators and governors vie for presidential candidacy -- Field Manual still comes across as surprisingly intelligent, its political themes bolstered by the multi-instrumental skills that Walla honed with Death Cab. He tackles most of the instruments himself, adding occasional bits of electronic percussion to a mix of electric guitars, piano, organ, and standard rhythm. If there's one weak point in this performance, it's the fact that Walla's voice rarely breaks out of the background-vocals mould. He can certainly sing, but years of providing seamless harmonies for Gibbard have given his pipes a clear, breathy quality that threatens to lull the listener into a trance during the album's final stretch. Still, Field Manual is a very nice public bow from someone who, prior to 2008, spent much of his time in the production booth and/or on the sidelines.
Chris Walla- Field Manual
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Track:Geometry & Co.
Another album I've been anxious to get my hands on this year, and another that didn't let me down. While I'm incredibly excited for the new Death Cab For Cutie album arriving in May, Field Manual will have to tide me over. Ironically, the whole thing sounds like a Death Cab album, and if things turn out like I hope, the new Death Cab album will sound a lot like a Chris Walla album.
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DCFC....Oh, I have been waiting for this...
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Death Cab For Cutie has announced the name of their upcoming album, due in May 2008.Narrow StairsPict. taken from Wikipedia, so who knows how reliable.In other DCFC news, Chris Walla's album, Field Manual, is on sale in stores as of Tues, Jan. 29.If you purchase online by February 4, from "Barsuk Records":http://www.barsuk.com/shop/bark069, you can get 4 additional non-album mp3 bonus tracks. ...
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Everybody On...
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Just a last wee thing before bed. As a huge Death Cab fan, I've been looking forward to Chris Walla's side project and new album called Field Manual...here's a sample from the album.
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Stream New Chris Walla Track, "Sing Again"
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Renowned producer and Death Cab For Cutie member Chris Walla has a solo album out shortly titled Field Manual. This song, "Sing Again," is on it.
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field manual.
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The solo release from Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla opens with a haunting a capella verse: All hail an imminent collapse/You can fumble for your maps/but we're exhausted by the facts. The deluxe edition, with its steel blue cloth-covered exterior, is a delight to the eyes as well as the ears. Walla's curious photography decorates the lyrics booklet, and roses adorn the interior and...
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chris walla - "sing again"
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Track:Geometry & Co.
and here's the video to go with my review of chris's new album...
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chris walla from dcfc
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so, as it happens, chris walla - guitarist in the little known band death cab for cutie - is also a great singer and songwriter in his own right. i've heard bits and pieces of "field manual" and am going to amoeba on tuesday to pick up a copy when it gets released because it's actually pretty damn good. they just (just as in like 16 minutes ago) released the video for the single "sing again"....
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Chris Walla- Field Manual
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Track:Geometry & Co.
Another album I've been anxious to get my hands on this year, and another that didn't let me down. While I'm incredibly excited for the new Death Cab For Cutie album arriving in May, Field Manual will have to tide me over. Ironically, the whole thing sounds like a Death Cab album, and if things turn out like I hope, the new Death Cab album will sound a lot like a Chris Walla album.
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Walla Walla
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A lot of mixed reviews for Chris Walla's solo debut, "Field Manual." Most say the songs sound just like DCFC and will help kill the time until the new disc is out in May. Most reviewers miss the vital third or fourth listen, when the true colors of a disc start to shine through (or fade away). That happened to me with the new Nada Surf disc "Lucky" - which I decided was crap the first time and ...
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 "Field Manual")
