18. Bob Mould - Modulate (2002)

It's generally poor critical practice to single out a record as unsuccessful merely on the basis of its failure to conform to what the artist is "supposed to" sound like. And indeed, Mould is to be applauded for trying his hand at dance music on 2002's Modulate (as well as Long Playing Grooves, released the same year by Mould's alter-ego LoudBomb). Having said that, Mould frequently sounds out of his comfort zone and unsure of himself while attempting to combine his genre experiments with his more typical straightforward rock approach. The highs are high on Modulate (tracks like "Comeonstrong" find a nice balance between Mould's robust pop songcraft and his new experimental leanings), but on balance this is a tentative first step forward into a potentially intriguing direction for an always-restless artist.