Who? Nurse and Soldier are a duo from Boston comprised of husband and wife Robertson Thacher and Erica Fletcher. Multi-instrumentalists (organs, guitars, synths, woodwinds, drums), they’re following 2001’s Ancient History with Marginalia, which came out this week on Brah/Jagjaguwar.
What’s the Deal? The band traffics in synth pop velvet and movements of the heart. “Beatlemania” makes the story of the Fab Four into a morality play, but the strength here is lightness. “In the Dark” is delicate pop-craft, all coos and lushness, while “Bought Up Too Soon” is porcelain charm whose sweet harmonies belie something sadder.
Fun Fact: Nurse and Soldier played their first show in 1998 as part of the “Best-Dressed Man in Williamsburg” pageant. Since then, they’ve gained more respectable notoriety, as Thacher is better known as Bobby Matador from noise-pop band Oneida. The band summarizes the break between albums in their blog thusly: “In between was grad school, getting married, having a kid, moving to a new city, a career change for one of us, and Rob doing his thing with Oneida. So, no complaints really.” JEFFREY PARKER
Now Hear This: Nurse and Soldier – “Green Tea” DOWNLOAD MP3
On SPIN.com: Artist of the Day: Oneida
Talk: Want to hear the whispers between the Nurse and Soldier? COMMENT
On the Web: nurseandsoldier.com
