Tickle Your Taint Eclectic Music Reviews: Golf Dolls, Die Trying (Upper Midwest Jr. Art Assassins, 2020)

About Us

There is a good chance you found us accidentally by using the word “taint” in your search (If you found us on purpose, you deserve our accolades). Of course, we don’t know what you were looking for, but you stumbled on a damn cool project. Look around; let us help send you on a musical journey. Here you will find a number of album reviews from the strange and extreme to the tame and mainstream. Our reviewers are a bunch of obsessive miscreants. Most of us are avid music collectors and have been involved in the music world for decades. A couple of us have been in or are still in bands.

There are no rules on Tickle Your Taint Blog. Our reviewers might make you laugh, or piss you off; both results are legitimate. One reviewer might write a glowing review of an album; another might tear it apart. We may have a new review every week, or we could end up with one every six months. This blog exists as a social experiment to build community among a diverse group of music maniacs – our reviewers and hopefully you.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Golf Dolls, Die Trying (Upper Midwest Jr. Art Assassins, 2020)

Reviewed by Null

Golf Dolls are DIY punk band from Madison, Wisconsin. Now, when I say “punk,” I don’t mean the homogenized, over-produced commercial punk that we get shoved down our throats these days, nor do I mean hardcore punk like Minor Threat, whom I love. Instead, the Golf Dolls remind me of the golden age of punk in the 1980s. They sound a bit more like mid-tempo Dead Kennedys, Doc Corbin Dart, The Wipers, or even The Buzzcocks with a little Devo thrown in minus the electronics. This album could have easily appeared in a 1984 Alternative Tentacles catalog. Trying to describe music is hard.

However, I will tell you this: from the moment I put this record on, I was bathing in the glorious sounds of killer riffs, super-catchy melodies, and lyrics that are filled with social critique wrapped in satire, humor, and unapologetic good time fun. It is rare to love an album on first listen, but these guys are so talented and this album is so good that I wanted to get naked and rub it all over my body. I was blown away. If any of this sounds good to you, then don’t hesitate and pick it up at:

https://golfdolls.bandcamp.com/album/die-trying

It is available in both digital and CD formats. I suggest getting the CD, as the art work is very reminiscent of classic Winston-Smith. Besides, music downloads suck.