Mainframe – Tenants Of The Lattice-Work

This was not on my radar.

If you asked me before I discovered Mainframe how I imagined an “ambient/synth pop” album (according to Discogs) would sound, I might just laugh at you and tell you to piss off. Of the genres represented in my record collection, “ambient/synth pop” sounds like one I’ve entirely skipped over. It is more than likely I own a higher number of albums by people with physical or mental disabilities than I do those classified as ambient/synth pop. I was mere seconds from discarding Mainframe — from relegating it to the Island Of Misfit Albums Evan Has Rejected At First Sight — and then I took a peek at the back cover.

The instruments listed on the back cover looked righteous, too. Roland Juno 60, Moog Prodigy, Apple II Microcomputer. “Oh, shit,” I thought. “I’ll give it a quick spin.”

What I heard upon dropping the needle on Tenants Of The Lattice-Work took me by complete surprise. Yes, it is undeniably 80s-as-fuck sounding, but it’s also shockingly good. What’s more, the album includes a custom one-sided printed insert for a contest. The album, the music, the insert and the video (which you had to buy at the time) contains the answers to 10 questions that are presented on the insert. Trying to unravel the mysteries of Mainframe was like trying to understand the Sudden Sway Spacemate box and its instruction manual.

Thankfully, Mainframe has its own website where you can download modern, “restored” versions of the songs on Tenants Of The Lattice-Work. They likely sound far superior to my vinyl rip. I highly recommend both visiting that site and reading this article about the duo. Enlightening and interesting as hell. Dig it.

Mainframe
Tenants Of The Lattice-Work
(Mc² Records, 1983)
MediaFire DL Link

01. Login, Please / Start The New Day
02. Take The Road
03. Home Early
04. One Last Word
05. Machine Beside Machine [MP3]
06. Disoriented
07. The Lattice
08. Breakfast Transmission
09. Beyond All Reach
10. Intermission
11. Preparing To Go
12. Strange Sequence
13. Let Me Go!
14. The Key
15. Final Clues