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Today’s Pitchfork on Portland M Ward: “This new full-band approach suits M. Ward pretty well. His resonant croak stumbles on a totally unexpected chorus, backed by subtle harmonies on the devastating hook “What do you do with the pieces of a broken heart?” The trick, really, is that he pulls back for it rather than ramping things up to ram it home. The backporch stomp of the song supports this strategy effortlessly: Ward tops the simple acoustic strumming of the rhythm track with a fractured electric lead, lending the solo a frazzled ambience to balance the lilt of the vocal verses. “Chinese Translation” is an exercise in buoyancy, and a life preserver for the broken-hearted.”
