Chris DeLine

In his 2006 single, “Chinese Translation,” M. Ward asked, “What do you do with the pieces of a broken heart?” And through his collaborative album with Zooey Deschanel as She & Him and his recent Hold Time release, it appears that surrounding yourself with the best friends you can find seems to be the answer to the question. Though the physical presence of Hold Time‘s contributors—DeVotchKa’s Tom Hagerman, Lucinda Williams, Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle—might not be represented when Ward returns to the Twin Cities, the spirit of the music remains intact through Ward’s talented touring band. Generally well-suited for smaller venues, Ward’s songs are gentle in nature, with his voice rarely raising above a calculated purr, but in keeping with the theme of the album, the more friends the merrier, and hopefully the crowd at this show’s larger venue responds by helping Ward mend that broken heart. With the Watson Twins. 18+.

[This critics’ pick was originally published by City Pages.]