The International Nothing: Just None of Those Things

Hey, another four years have passed so it must be time for a new album from The International Nothing! Sure enough, here it is, bang on time. Just None of Those Things is the fifth album by the Berlin-based clarinet duo of Kai Fagaschinski and Michael Thieke; the first, Mainstream (Ftarri, 2006), was the only one of the five on which the clarinettists were joined by guest players—including vocalists Margaret Kammerer and Christof Kurzmann with whom they had formed the group The Magic I.D. which recorded the wonderful Til My Breath Gives Out (Erstpop, 2008); the only other deviant was The Power of Negative Thinking (Monotype, 2016) on which the clarinets were joined by bass and drums, and so it was credited to 'The International Nothing (... and something)' and released on a different label. All six albums come in sleeves depicting animals, distinctively designed by Tanabemse, which gives them a strong feeling of belonging together.

Fagaschinski says that the four-year gaps are not because he and Thieke wait so long to release an album but because they work so much on it. For two-and-a-half years the duo worked on Just None of Those Things, more obsessed than ever by their new long-form composition, the album's title (and only) track, which runs for forty-two-and-a-half minutes. The pair's last album, In Doubt We Trust (Ftarri, 2018) also comprised a single track, their first to have done so. On Just None of Those Things Fagaschinski's clarinet is heard on the right channel, Thieke's on the left. With no electronic manipulation, overdubs or improvisation, what we hear is the two clarinettists playing the music as they had worked out over those two-and-a-half years. The separation of the two clarinets is vital as listeners get to hear and savour the detailed interactive dialogue between the two players as they subtly combine the sounds of their clarinets into one integrated voice.

On the evidence so far, it is tempting to label this as The International Nothing's best album to date. However, as all their albums are essential in different ways, that temptation is best avoided. One thing is certain, though—while it is very likely to be 2026 before another album is released by The International Nothing, Just None of Those Things has plenty to keep listeners satisfied until then. Simply beautiful music.