Both as the guitarist / producer in Death Cab for Cutie and as a producer of other artists (Tegan & Sara, The Decemberists, etc), Walla brings a refined aesthetic and melodic ear to everything he involves himself in. His past recordings of his own songs (occasionally made available online under the name "Martin Youth Auxiliary") have mostly been quickly-recorded lo-fi sketches unintended for widespread release. Field manual represents the first time Walla's own songs have been given the studio attention and thought-out approach to recording for which he is known