Hafler Trio's fans are accustomed to limited editions and special packaging, and their latest double CD "Normally" doesn't escape the pattern and presents itself in an astonishing Andrew McKenzie-designed folding cardboard package with diagonally cut folding paper sleeve notes and additional booklet with quotes... Very hard to describe, you pretty much have to see it. As for the musical contents of the two CDs, they are both based on the voice of Neubauten's mastermind and singer Blixa Bargeld. His voice has been used as basic source all resulting sounds have been elaborated from. Unfortunately we never get to quite hear Blixa's signature voice because the processing is so radical and total. Once we get over this major disappointment, we can try to enjoy the controversial and provocatory stillness and tranquillity of the two CDs. Minimal, subtle, subsonic, deserted and icy monotone sounds, slowly (very slowly!) but surely evolving and rising in volume across their entire duration. You'll have to sit through an entire 10 minutes before you even realize you've been listening to the CD and it's been happening all along. And it keeps going down that route for the entire duration of both CDs, so except for two short stages in the first CD where the sound gets piercingly loud (at least in comparison to the rest), between both the discs you'll never get any real "action" happening, so to say. While the former disc ("Normally") is said to be based on the three characteristic styles of the EN leader (whispering, hysterical and ordinary), the latter ("Sphotavado") instead arranges three vowels according to certain Sanskrit rules. The statutory meaning of this CD goes beyond the mere appreciation of tone and assertion of source and dips deep into the subconscious realm of psychic vibrations. Equally powerful and silent, at the same time.