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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Comes in a 6-panel wallet.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Bitter Better via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $15 USD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    12" vinyl.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Bitter Better via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $24 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

1.
I loved you once and I always will but I know you get bitter bitter like the coffee that you bring to my bed come on treat me better come on treat me better I woke you up Friday night you made me gin and bitters Bigger trouble lingered in the back of my head Shouldn't I treat you better? Oh oh, I should treat you better Oh oh, I should treat you better Once upon a love I didn’t know you well Once upon a love we thought it all looked easy Everything was fine until we both got cynical Once upon a love Surprised me once got a golden ring a card could say it better I’m betting you believe you never knew me at all How did I get so bitter? Oh oh I should treat you better Oh oh I should treat you better Once upon a love I didn’t know you well Once upon a love we thought it all looked easy Everything was fine until we both got cynical Once upon a love Once upon a love I didn’t know you well Once upon a love we thought it all looked easy How do we get back to when we weren't so cynical? Once upon a love Once upon a love I didn’t know you well Once upon a love we thought it all looked easy We were doing fine until we both got critical Once upon a love Once upon a love I didn’t know you well Once upon a love we thought it all looked easy come on take me back to when we weren't so cynical Once upon a love
2.
Why do you always wear that corduroy jacket? It don’t look good with your eyes Why do you let it define your fashion? Is irony your big disguise? If you don’t like what you see (You) don’t have to spend so much time looking in the mirror Why do I catch you standing in the corner At parties trying to hide? Why do you think nobody will see you If you avoid their eyes? You feel lonely in a crowd You may be lost but nobody’s found The world is free To move without you without me Acting like you just don’t care When I need you, you’re there I get crazy when you're so unsure You’re doing fine I don’t need a raconteur You don’t need to play the games you play You don’t have to hide, don’t change a thing You don’t have to hide, don’t change a thing You don’t have to hide The world is free To move without you without me Acting like you just don’t care When I need you, you’re there In your corduroy
3.
I come from fruit trees bowed down in autumn heat Dry golden hills, laurel floating on the breeze From rumbling earth and seismographs Suspension bridges that bow and sway I come from the ashes Of what was begun What will begin again I come from polished high-heeled shoes Pastel blouses lipstick in a reddish hue Peacocks and bulls on our family tree Framed in glass over couch, under vinyl covering I come from the ashes Of what was begun What will begin again A ruined hotel, old colors on concrete Laid out in pieces, craftsmen becoming obsolete I come from running, backyard cartwheels One board nailed on a branch, my play house in tiny tree I come from the ashes Of what was begun What will begin again I come from the ashes Of what was begun What will begin again Where I come from, they talk with their hands In a language I can’t speak, I can almost understand I come from parents who almost never spoke To one another after I was three years old I come from the ashes Of what was begun What will begin I come from the ashes Of what was begun What will begin I come from the ashes Of what was begun What will begin I come from the ashes Of what was begun What will begin I come from the ashes Of what was begun What will begin Again
4.
Where the fox hides, I wanna know Where the fox hides, I wanna go Why does he have a den anyway? All I want to do is play a little Wanna run my fingers through his rusty coat Follow paw prints hunting in the snow Spend the winter curled up, not alone Crawl into tree roots Make it my home Where the fox hides, I wanna know Where the fox hides, I wanna go Why does he have a den anyway? All I want to do is play a little If I follow far enough behind you I can catch a glimpse of where to find you Someday you’ll invite me if I’m patient We’ll be so content, just listening to the quiet Where the fox hides, I wanna know Where the fox hides, I wanna go Why does he have a den anyway? All I want to do is play a little Play a little
5.
Dreaming 03:07
Yeah it’s always been lively here And the people they like conversation It’s a custom fit I ride around in circles And I wish that, I wish that I I wish that I was dreaming Eventually, I search for water And I wade all the way in I can no longer hear my thoughts Outside it’s blaring, and the rooftops are screaming my name I wish that I was dreaming I wish that, I wish that I I wish that I was dreaming I wish that, I wish that I I wish that I was dreaming I wish that I I could work in an empty park Have the table to myself And birdsong to fill my brain Otherwise, I listen Try to decipher everything I wish that I was dreaming Choirs of quick thinkin’ Coming through the television Quiet the slick taIking I’m tired of sleep walking I wish that, I wish that I I wish that I was dreaming I wish that, I wish that I I wish that I was dreaming I wish that, I wish that I I wish that I was dreaming I wish that, I wish that I I wish that I was dreaming
6.
How Long 02:56
Sometimes I sit quietly, listen to the wind When I feel you slipping Your voice comes drifting on the breeze that’s blowing in How long can hold you in my ears? How long, how long How long can hold you in my ears? How long, how long Sometimes I lay quietly under the blankets of my bed When I can’t live without your company Come and visit me in my dreams How long can hold you in my mind? How long, how long How long can hold you in my mind? How long, how long Sometimes I go walking on the streets of our hometown I saw the neighbors’ daughter Smiling just like you with a crooked front tooth How long can I hold you in my mind? How long, how long How long can I hold you in my mind? How long, how long How long How long, how long How long how long, how long
7.
Younger Man 03:25
When I was a younger man I kept a travelogue Played for the statues on The Charles Bridge in Prague Folded underneath my arm Built from an old oak tree Keys made of polymer With slender copper reeds Ooooh How it hummed without lips Breathed without lungs ‘Till we were called from Milwaukee To face the fascist guns I served as a chaplain In the second war We braved the bombs out in the field Led the troops in prayer Oooh
8.
Talk To Me 03:42
Loon on the lake, calling in the night Sing a little song her mama taught her Blue of the day in the big black sky Reflection of the light, stains the water Talk to me, tell me what you’re dreaming Talk to me, something to believe in, Talk to me You won’t say what your eyes can’t hide You’re carrying a weight all alone Who was it showed you how to keep it inside? I’ll shine a little light just to let you know You can talk to me in the middle of the night Talk to me let’s make it alright Talk to me Talk to me, tell me what you’re dreaming Talk to me, something to believe in Talk to me All night long Only my echo calling back to me Listen for another song Why were you thinking that you had to hide? Still as a stone on the dark lakeside When will you let that voice come through? Who’s gonna use it, if not you? Still as a stone on the dark lakeside Who do you think is gonna read your mind? Talk to me Calling in the darkness all night long Waiting on someone else's song Talk to me Even the trees got something to say Speak and let the wind come take it away Talk to me Loon on the lake, calling in the night Sing a little song her mama taught her
9.
Typhoon 04:11
I’m digging through those piles Digging, digging, digging through those piles Looking under pieces of my tin roof Digging, digging, digging through those piles Keep on searching Keep on searching I can’t turn my back Can’t can’t can’t turn my back On the dirty water that took you from me Can’t can’t can’t turn my back Keep on searching Keep on searching Keep on searching Keep on searching I better start to build Better, better, better start to build A few miles in where the sandy earth stays dry Better, better, better start to build Keep on searching Keep on searching Keep on searching Keep on searching I’m digging through those piles (Keep on searching) Digging, digging, digging through those piles (Keep on searching) Looking under pieces of my tin roof (Keep on searching) Digging, digging, digging through those piles (Keep on searching)
10.
When we rocked on the water Looking out to sea How’d it get to be morning? Hold my hand a little longer When we rocked on the water Hadn’t slept for days Glasses raised to hold back morning If we could keep the sun down She’s coming up now She’s coming up now She’s coming up now Now She’s coming up now She’s coming up now She’s coming up now When we told our secrets Whispered to the dawn Leaning back against the railing Nothing left to hold back She’s coming up now She’s coming up now She’s coming up now Now She’s coming up now She’s coming up now She’s coming up now She’s coming up now She’s coming up now She’s coming up now Now She’s coming up now She’s coming up now She’s coming up now When we rocked on the water We remembered we are free Keep following the dream A warning Hold them safe till I come back
11.
Daylight 03:26
Rake lines in dead grass Snow fell down and froze ‘em like that Goose flying over fields, we’re running past Salt stains on sidewalks Sun tells a different story than the clock Bear in her bed, keeps on napping Ooh Daylight is longer than dark, keep marching The steady rhythm of our charge Ooh Daylight is longer than dark We persist Until we finish what we started Buck 49 for daffodils Filling up the room with their yellow smell Take your time when you get weary Filling up on coffee and nicotine Read books, turn off the tv Pretty soon your back to taking chances Ooh Daylight is longer than dark, keep marching The steady rhythm of our charge Ooh Daylight is longer than dark We persist Until we finish what we started Rake lines in dead grass Oooh

about

Expanding on the boundaries of what an indie-folk band can be, Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards add a lightness and pop sensibility on their upcoming album, BITTER BETTER. A stunning lesson in all the ways string instruments can be played – bowed, plucked, percussively – combined with lush vocal harmonies, BITTER BETTER showcases Cortese and multi-instrumentalist producer Sam Kassirer (Lula Wiles, Lake Street Dive) striving to capture the most adventurous approach to each moment. The result is an album that incorporates dance-worthy foundational grooves, synth, and loops to push the boundaries of the genre.

credits

released July 17, 2020

Laura Cortese - voice, fiddle
Valerie Thompson - cello, harmony vocals
Zoe Guigueno - bass, guitar, harmony vocals
Sumaia Jackson - fiddle, banjo, harmony vocals
Jenna Moynihan - fiddle, harmony vocals
Jeni Magana - harmony vocals, guitar, bass
Sam Kassirer - pianos, synthesizers, keyboards
D. James Goodwin - drums, percussion

Produced by Sam Kassirer · Recorded by D. James Goodwin
Mixed and Mastered by D. James Goodwin at The Isokon
Recorded at Motor Music in Mechelen Belgium Additional recording by Sam Kassirer
at The Great North Sound Society in Parsonsfield Maine
and by D. James Goodwin at the Isokon in Woodstock New York
Illustrations by Adam Agee · Design by RObert Hakalski

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Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards San Francisco, California

Expanding on the boundaries of what an indie-folk band can be, Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards take their extensive string music background, add their knowledge of folk and roots music, and incorporate an edgy pop sensibility to create their latest album, BITTER BETTER—a stunning lesson in all the ways string instruments can be played and captures the most adventurous approach to each moment. ... more

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