Last year, Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards released their latest album “Bitter Better” which we reviewed here. In his review of the album Danny Neill explored their sound, trying to pin down what made them sound so unique:
They are a quartet of string players who all sing and whose primary instruments are fiddles, cellos and the double bass. But the sound that such a combo might conjure up in your mind, a cacophony of sweeping bowed strings perhaps, really is nothing close to what you actually hear on record. Neither is it overly experimental or difficult, yet the results are often ground-breaking and unique. Maybe this is because when together, for every period this group spend working and developing material, they also love to dance, which is something that positively bounces out from their music. They are full of life; even when contemplating its ups and downs, there’s an energy and vitality to the work.
Taken from the album, they have just shared a live video for “How Long”, a song that positively accentuates a swaying gentle caress that has a touching backstory:
“How Long” is a daydream, a memory, the chance sighting that keeps us connected to loved ones we’ve lost. I started writing “How Long” after losing a friend to breast cancer. I couldn’t attend her memorial service and wanted to write a song to send in my absence. The first two verses and the chorus came quickly, but I was just too raw to finish. When we started working on “Bitter Better,” I asked Valerie Thompson and Zoe Guigueno to help me finish it. We talked about friends and family that we’ve lost and our experiences with grief. The last verse captures our shared experiences. This video was shot live at Great North Sound Society in Parsonsfield, ME, by Sean Trischka and Eleanor Buckland.
They are on tour now in the US. Buy the album and find out more here: https://thisislauracortese.com