Bob Mould — Modulate

Mould’s latest may leave his fans hanging their heads after the completion of this warped affair. Mould has virtually abandoned the warm-fuzzy guitar distortion and acoustic touches of his earlier work and replaced them with cold electronic loops and whoooooshes to back up his keen sense of melody. The results sound like day-old Pet Shop Boys and most songs other than "Lost Zoloft" and "Come On Strong," where Bob actually straps on the guitar and gives us what we want, feel as cold as Jimmy Hoffa’s hand. Luckily, Mould’s uncanny pop vocal sensibilities are still intact and that is the only redeeming factor in an otherwise failed experiment. It’s one thing to branch out, but after this strange 14-track exploration there’s also a strong argument for sticking to what you’re best at!