Field Manual

__FORCETOC__Infobox Album
Name = Field Manual
Type = Album
Artist = Chris Walla

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Background = #ebf5ff
Recorded = Grouse Lodge, Co Westmeath, Ireland
Released = flagicon|US 29 January 2008
flagicon|Australia 2 February, 2008
Recorded =
Genre = Indie rock
Current Length =
Label = Barsuk
Producer = Chris Walla
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|3.5|5 [http://wc08.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57F1EDC4BAA7720F6BD1D65EA9B47C628FE70CFBE3B126F63FDFB187C910866F871C2B1CFF0B674AB7BA6E02CA45A079FCDE453FFD663382DED93&sql=10:0vfoxzwhldse link]
*"Crawdaddy!" (mixed) [http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/Article.aspx?id=5268 link]
* QRO Magazine (7.6/10) [http://www.qromag.com/reviews/album_reviews/chris_walla_:_field_manual/ link]
*Pitchfork (5.9/10) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/48339-field-manual link]
* Strange Glue Rating|3|5 [http://strangeglue.com/chris-walla-field-manual/3560/ link]
*Patrol Magazine (4.6/10) [http://www.patrolmag.com/index.php?id=235 2008]
Last album = "Martin Youth Auxiliary"
(1999)
This album = Field Manual
(2007)
Next album =

Chris Walla's second solo album entitled "Field Manual", originally named "It's Unsustainable", was released on January 29, 2008 by Barsuk Records. Walla released the album under his own name; it was previously speculated that he may use a moniker, most likely Martin Youth Auxiliary, under which to release the album [ [http://puddlegum.net/death-cab-for-cutie-were-six-songs-in/ » Death Cab for Cutie: “We’re six songs in.” :: Puddlegum :: ] ] .

Walla originally announced on his Hall of Justice Recording site that the album would be released in March 2007, but "Field Manual" was pushed back to September 2007. The album was then set for a later release date of January 29, 2008 [http://www.barsuk.com/bands/chriswalla Chris Walla / Barsuk Records ] ] . The record was released in Australia via Architecture, the same label that released three Death Cab for Cutie albums. Warne Livesey mixed at least part of the album [http://www.hallofjusticerecording.com/words.html HOJ Words ] ] .

The album was leaked onto the internet on January 18, 2008.

All tracks performed by Chris Walla, except drums on 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 by Kurt Dahle (of The New Pornographers); drums on songs 3, 7, and 11 by Jason McGerr (of Death Cab for Cutie)

U.S. customs controversy

The album received a small amount of press in October 2007 when U.S. Customs officials on the USA-Canada border confiscated a hard drive containing the master copies of Walla's recordings, for reasons not entirely clear. [ [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1572048/20071016/death_cab_for_cutie.jhtml Death Cab For Cutie Guitarist's Homeland Security Surprise - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News ] ] [ [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/46425-death-cabs-chris-walla-threat-to-homeland-security Pitchfork: Death Cab's Chris Walla: Threat to Homeland Security? ] ] The drive was eventually cleared, and a spokesperson for the Department stated that he felt press coverage of the event was "unfair. And I will be spending the rest of the day trying to contact those people -- The Associated Press, the record company [Barsuk] , and Mr. Walla-- to ask them if they can set the record straight." [ [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/46520-us-customs-clears-chris-wallas-hard-drive Pitchfork: U.S. Customs Clears Chris Walla's Hard Drive ] ]

Track listing [ [http://www.barsuk.com/shop/bark069 Chris Walla : field manual ] ]

# "Two-Fifty" - 3:31
# "The Score" - 2:58
# "Sing Again" - 2:31
# "A Bird Is a Song" - 3:08
# "Geometry &C" - 3:07
# "Everyone Needs a Home" - 3:06
# "Everybody On" - 3:17
# "Our Plans, Collapsing" - 3:56
# "Archer v. Light" - 3:06
# "St. Modesto" 4:27
# "It's Unsustainable" - 5:56
# "Holes" - 2:40
# "Every Tic" (Australian Bonus Track)
# "Like a Spark" (Australian Bonus Track)

Bonus tracks

Copies pre-ordered from the Barsuk shop before February 4, 2008 received three downloadable non-album MP3 bonus tracks.
# "Like a Spark" - 4:31
# "Sing Again (2006 Demo)" - 2:32
# "Our Plans, Collapsing (2006 Demo)" - 3:47

References