Editing Modulate (album) (section)

==Composition and lyrics==
===Overview===
''Modulate'' is an electronic<ref name=TACreview/> and [[power pop]] album,<ref name=CMJMonthlyreview>Kleinsak 2002, p. 56</ref> which evoked the sound of [[New Order (band)|New Order]];<ref name=NATNreview/> it takes its name from a lyric in "Comeonstrong".<ref name=PMreview/> Chris Larry of ''[[CMJ New Music Report]]'' compared it to the work of [[Erasure (duo)|Erasure]] with the [[1980s in music|1980s-esque]] keyboards, "elements of [[house music]] and an overall, [[Industrial music|industrialized]] sci-fi sound".<ref name=CMJReportreview>Larry 2002, p. 11</ref> Mould said he was against [[disco]] and electronic music when those styles emerged at the end of the [[1970s in music|1970s]], only for him to change his mind: "Now, 25 years later, I'm looking at it, going, 'This is really interesting.{{single double}}<ref name=Outinterview/> ''[[City Pages]]'' reviewer Peter S. Scholtes said it "mirrors the strengths and weaknesses" of ''[[Good News for Modern Man (album)|Good News for Modern Man]]'' (1999) by former Hüsker Dü bandmate [[Grant Hart]].<ref>{{cite web|date=March 27, 2002|title=Minneapolis Music - Bob Mould: Modulate| work=[[City Pages]]|author=Scholtes, Peter S.|url=http://www.citypages.com/2002-03-27/music/bob-mould-modulate/|access-date=July 3, 2023| url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080801105504/http://www.citypages.com/2002-03-27/music/bob-mould-modulate/| archive-date=August 1, 2008}}</ref> ''[[God Is in the TV]]'' writer Humphrey Fordham suggested that the [[drum and bass]] and [[trip hop]] track "Megamanic" from ''The Last Dog and Pony Show'' laid the groundwork for ''Modulate'', comparing the album to other releases that saw legacy acts "going out on a limb", such as ''[[Don Juan's Reckless Daughter]]'' (1977) by [[Joni Mitchell]] and ''[[Trans (album)|Trans]]'' (1983) by [[Neil Young]].<ref name=GIITTVDistortionreview>{{cite web|url=https://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2021/01/26/bob-mould-distortion-1996-2007-demon-records/|title=Bob Mould: Distortion 1996 – 2007 (Demon Records)|work=[[God Is in the TV]]|author=Fordham, Humphrey|date=January 26, 2021|access-date=June 30, 2023}}</ref> Jon Wurster of ''[[Indy Week]]'' pointed out Mould's [[Bob Mould (album)|1996 self-titled album]] for its employment of [[drum machine]]s, in addition to highlighting "Megamanic" for it being Mould's initial foray into electronic music.<ref name=IWreview/>

[[AllMusic]] reviewer [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] commented that the tracks were presented differently from Mould's other works: "they're insular, one-man creations (even more so than Workbook), as that man tries to expand his art by grappling with new technologies and trends and a whole bunch of electronic instruments and computers".<ref name=AMreview/> ''[[PopMatters]]'' contributor Gary Glauber mentioned that Mould's "pop sensibility remains—only it’s a palette of vocoder, distortion, loops, samples, and other noise tricks from which he paints his sound pictures now", adding that it "does not totally abandon the past; occasional strains of that familiar Mould guitar sound are evident".<ref name=PMreview/> ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]'' writer Dan Oko remarked that it delivered an electronic sound with "synthetic vocals that owe more to Daft Punk and Madonna than his SST heyday".<ref name=TACreview/> Glauber noted that the tracks that feature the "electronic effects seem curiously concentrated" on the album's first half; after this, Mould's previous guitar sound returns with "Slay / Sway" and "The Receipt",<ref name=PMreview/> recalling the material by Sugar.<ref name=NATNreview/> Mould said he wanted to make an artistic statement by putting the electronic-focused songs on the first half.<ref name=IWreview>{{cite web|url=https://indyweek.com/music/features/mould-ulate/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921191426/https://indyweek.com/music/features/mould-ulate/|title=Mould-ulate|work=[[Indy Week]]|author=Wurster, Jon|date=April 17, 2002|archivedate=September 21, 2020|access-date=July 4, 2023}}</ref>

===Tracks===
"180 Rain", which beings with car alarm and siren sounds,<ref name=PMreview/> uses a vocoder effect in a similar vein to that of [[Cher]] and Daft Punk.<ref name=RSreview/> Glauber thought the added sounds "enhance the lyrical idea of 'a catastrophe is happening tonight', like rain that can’t be stopped, another unhappy relationship".<ref name=PMreview/> For the [[Philip Glass]]-tinged "Sunset Safety Glass",<ref name=GIITTVDistortionreview/> Glauber said it "trades on repetition to drive home its musical point, while oddly juxtaposed lyrical images seek to disturb" the listener.<ref name=PMreview/> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' reviewer Pat Blashill wrote that "Semper Fi" has a baroque structure consisting of "wheezing, calliope-style synth effects and squiggles, with Mould's drawling, side-of-the-mouth vocals and guitars roaring away underneath everything".<ref name=RSreview/> The song talks about a private love affair in the military, and is followed by the instrumental "Homecoming Parade", which features two minutes of [[bagpipes]] and other samples.<ref name=PMreview/> In "Lost Zoloft", Mould's [[stream of consciousness]] lyrics, which discuss self-doubt, is anchored around keyboard percussion.<ref name=PMreview/> The staff at ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' prosed that it dealt with the "underreported phenomenon of same-sex spousal abuse", while one of the lyrics could be interpretated as being "about any abusive relationship, until he mentions 'a latent homosex becomes so violent when provoked.{{single double}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-hits-keep-coming-30-songs-inspired-by-domestic-vio-1798226415|title=30 songs about domestic violence|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=June 20, 2011|access-date=July 4, 2023}}</ref> Preceded by the [[musique concrète]] track "Without?",<ref name=Independentreview>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-bob-mould-5362100.html|title=Album: Bob Mould|work=[[The Independent]]|author=Gill, Andy|date=April 26, 2002|access-date=July 4, 2023}}</ref> Oko said with the guitar-centric "Slay / Sway", Mould shows that he "may yet find a way to align his Midwestern godfather-of-[[grunge]] past and [[Music of New York City#Electronic dance music|NYC club-hopping]] present".<ref name=TACreview/>

"The Receipt" recalled the direction of ''The Last Dog and Pony Show'' with its guitar sound, sans electronic [[Coda (music)|coda]].<ref name=PMreview/> Sam Lambeth of ''[[Louder Than War]]'' theorised if it was about Mould's strained relationship with Hart.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://louderthanwar.com/mould-soundz-10-of-bobs-best-solo-tracks/|title=Mould Soundz – 10 of Bob Mould's Best Solo Tracks|work=[[Louder Than War]]|author=Lambeth, Sam|date=September 29, 2016|access-date=June 30, 2023}}</ref> According to Glauber, "Quasar" sees Mould use "synthesizers, samplers, and digital toys in another interesting layered clatter that’s tuneful and catchy, but suffers from its halfway treatment".<ref name=PMreview/> "Soundonsound" talks about a couple staying together despite growing apart from one another. "Hornery" is a short, minute-long instrumental song consisting of guitar feedback,<ref name=PMreview/> akin to "[[Arc (Neil Young & Crazy Horse album)|Arc-Weld]]" (1991) by Young.<ref name=Independentreview/> "Comeonstrong" is an alternative rock track,<ref name=RSreview/> which blends Mould's guitar sound and the electronic edge of the other songs on the album. During it, he describes the struggle of finding balance in life.<ref name=PMreview/> "Trade" recalled the works of New Order and [[Pet Shop Boys]],<ref name=PMreview/> while its lyrics, as [[Jonathan Cohen (television executive)|Jonathan Cohen]] of Nude as the News writes, sees Mould "wrestles with the most basic of requests: he won’t give 'the answer' until he can pre-determine what the implied tradeoff is".<ref name=NATNreview/> The album's closing track, "Author's Lament", mixes digital percussion and an electric piano, initially beginning as a sparse arrangement that eventually builds into noisy feedback.<ref name=PMreview/> It tries to merge the sound of [[Aphex Twin]] and [[Joe Jackson (musician)|Joe Jackson]].<ref name=NATNreview/>