A sonic journey reminiscent of Kraftwerk and Brian Eno – cerebral electronica, winding and peculiar, with the intricacy of late-Eighties Sega video game soundtracks – Maybe Mobile is a topsy-turvy ride. Local fivepiece Ichi Ni San Shi’s sophomore LP jars in repetitive synths anchored by rapid dance beats, opener “Pulsating Fear” juxtaposing physical stillness even as the mind runs amok. Mania emerges often throughout nine tracks, but even at their most high-energy, the album never sounds jubilant. Singer/trumpeter Bill Jeffery sounds preoccupied, constantly overthinking, “paranoia meets dance floor” on the beat-driven and kinetic “Is It Over There?” and “Many Things.” The foreboding “Stare Straight Ahead” slices up an acoustic guitar, one of the most common instruments suddenly sounding out of place in the strange carnival of sinister sounds that built Ichi Ni San Shi.
This article appears in September 1 • 2017.