Nothing Special is pretty special at the moment, at least according to Latvian media reports that note how the group is garnering international press attention.

The mysterious group of four bandmembers has released two singles through Rīga-based Platforma Music, but it was a March 16 story carried by the Reuters news agency that put the group into the global limelight.

“Nothing special” (or nasing spešal, as Latvians like to write it) refers to the infamous statement by former Finance Minister Atis Slakteris characterizing his nation’s economic collapse. The statement was made during a blunder-full interview with the Bloomberg business news channel. Journalist Gunta Gasuna’s report for Reuters examines the cottage industry emerging from the statement, including the band and T-shirts. Not too long ago I saw a downtown Rīga restaurant offering a lunchtime “Nothing special.”

The band’s first single, “Taupi,” was released at the start of February and used words from poet Jānis Rainis’ work “Saimnieciskas pamatmācības,” according to a Platforma Music press release. The second single, “No ligzdas kritušie,” heralds the coming of the band’s debut album, Mēs esam ellē! (We Are in Hell!).

Members of Nothing Special include four experienced musicians, according to Platforma: Aigars, Ainars, Aivars and Einārs. The names refer to well-known politicians. They perform in penguin costumes, so it’s anyone’s guess who they really are. (In the late 1990s, the members of Prāta Vētra performed as their alter-egos Reigani, all sporting Ronald Reagan masks and even cutting an album, Nospiedi sarkano podziņu).

For more on the “nothing special” phenomenon, visit the blog www.nothingspecial.lv. For more on the band, and to purchase the singles, visit www.platformamusic.lv.