It's probably best to file this one under intriguing missteps.

With Modulate., legendary Husker Du/Sugar braintrust Mould returns from self-imposed exile -- he gave up the rock to write wrestling scripts for the WCW for several of years -- with an electronic album. Only it isn't an electronic album. Not entirely.

Too perplexing to actually be deemed sub-par, it's an interesting idea that Mould seems unable to see through. That, and his take on techno lies somewhere between ambient twittering and full-on, throbbing Eurodisco.

It's still identifiable as Mould's work. He tends to adopt a fey tone when singing over breakbeats on a tune like Sunset Safety Glass, though he can't resist laying a snippet of Byrds-y twelve-string over a bar or two of it. What's odd is that by the third track Semper Fi he's back ringing out the guitar powerpop, and, though there's more electropop to follow, stand-out track Slay/Sway largely does away with sequencers. Only Comeonstrong, Trade, and closer Author's Lament sound like seamless integrations of Mould's trademark songwriting style and technology.

Modulate. is bound to get laughs on first listen. The disc isn't terrible, and even features a couple of tunes that stand among his best post-Sugar work. Place those alongside an electronic experiment, though, and the two tend to undermine each other. (More on Bob Mould).

Track Listing