In their second release, San Francisco native Cortese and the ‘Cards team up with producer Sam Kassirer to morph their traditional folk sound using a captivating mix of traditional strings and electronica to produce a truly unique folk/pop blend. The foundation is still Cortese’s enchanting voice and the superb musicianship of the quartet’s strings which includes fiddles, double bass, cello and banjo but it is deftly accented with percussion and synths. Their mission is to make music that is ‘bold and elegant, schooled in the lyrical rituals of folk music and backed by grooves that alternately inspire Cajun two-stepping and rock-n-roll hip swagger’ and in Bitter Better they’ve hit it out of the ballpark.

RIYL: Maggie Rogers, Haim, The Staves, Sylvan Esso, Abagail Washburn

1 Treat You Better – divine combination of strings, percussion & synths in a story of love gone stale (fast, 3:02)***
2 Corduroy Jacket – dreamy story of a beau who is self absorbed (slow, 3:44)**
3 From the Ashes – melancholic violin sets tone for story about LC’s Bay Area childhood with an exquisite chorus (med, 3:27)***
4 Where The Fox Hides – hypnotic story of a fox as metaphor for isolation in our digital world (med, 2:34)***
5 Dreaming – sonic dreamscape craftily blends spacey synths and strings (fast, 3:07)**
6 How Long – plucked strings provide mystical backing for story about a past love fading from one’s memory (med, 2:56)*
7 Younger Man – haunting story of WW II chaplain ministering to soldiers in the trenches with the help of his harmonium (med, 3:25)
8 Talk to Me – band’s vocal harmonies and exquisite strings really shine on this mostly acoustic track (med, 3:43)*
9 Typhoon – blissful strings and harmonies dance around LC’s vocals (slow, 3:55)***
10 When We Rocked – spare & lovely melodic intro slowly builds to a fast ending (slow, 2:38)**
11 Daylight – intriguing overlap of plucked and bowed strings (med, 3:26)**