Charles de Goal, Algorythmes (side A)

The first confusion about Charles de Goal is that, according to Discogs at least, it's a band with 4 members.  On their cover of Bowie's "Hang on to Yourself", where Bowie sang, "We're the Spiders from Mars," the vocalist sings "I'm Charles de Goal," so I always had assumed there was a person who assumed this identity.  Their debut Algorythmes dates from 1980, and the clever title is a cross between the French words for "algorithm" and "rhythm".  The music in some ways resembles a happier take on Grauzone or early Cabaret Voltaire.  There are short songs, usually with many analog effects and a propulsive rhythm.  Charles de Goal tend to reference older rock music more than those bands — there's a live drummer whose timing sometimes drifts, and guitars sometimes have little processing.  The Bowie cover also pulls Algorythmes back toward early-70s rock.  The mixes or mastering have an odd presence peak that lead to certain synthesizer lines jumping far out in front, but the sound generally preserves its clarity through the layers of extreme effects.  The simple, patterned cover design is both mesmerizing and off-putting.