Customer Reviews

Jinx

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This album proves that even ridiculous genres like rap/rock aren't necessarily entirely bereft of value. If Lincoln Park are a good rap/rock band that lean heavily towards the rock side of things, Quarashi are a good rap/rock band that lean heavily towards the rap side. A lot of the vocals will remind you of maybe Fred Durst crossed with the Beastie Boys, and yes I know that probably sounds like a major turn-off. But somehow, despite the high-pitched whine inspired by Limp/Beastie music, the vocals somehow don't really annoy me at all. In a lot of ways, Quarashi just takes the basic formula of the Beastie Boys and do it better. They throw in some really heavy guitars too, much heavier than the Beasties, so the album isn't as completely derivative as I might be making it sound.

As far as the songs go, they're pretty decent stuff, and as Quarashi brag, they're not just trying to write an album full of hit singles. You can't say that about most bands these days. The album kicks off with the Brendan O'Brien-produced Stick 'Em Up, which is probably the only song that even comes close to resembling a hit on this album. Things mostly get a lot mellower on the rest of the rest of the album, although the whole album still has a pretty agressive feel to it thanks to the vocals. There are a lot of almost jazzy samples, like on the fairly laid-back 4th track. The final song is a too-brief instrumental with a weird female vocal loop.

The best part about the album is that it just seems packed with energy somehow, even on the more mellow tracks. Since music right now is saturated with oh-so-blah bands like Default and Nickleback, this one sounds great just because its such a change of pace. Anyhow, check it out even if you aren't a fan of rap-rock, because Quarashi are one of the few groups that are exceptions to the rule.

I bought this CD this off of the strength of their "Stick 'Em Up" video, and the rest of the CD is pretty damn good. For those who don't know, the group is from Iceland, and Jinx is their first American release.

Even though they are from Iceland, it doesn't really show up much in their songs, except for "Tarfur" which is rapped in Icelandic. They have a sound similar to a lot of the groups out right now who rap over guitar driven tracks. The best thing I can think of is comparing Quarashi to is the Beastie Boys around the time they released "Check Your Head." The lead rapper sounds a bit like the King Ad Rock with his flow and voice, and the beats just have a good funk sound with a heavy bassline for most tracks. The CD also contains a few instramentalish tracks. My 2 favorite tracks off the CD would have to be "Weirdo" and "Stick 'Em Up." The "Stick 'Em Up" video is also on limited edition copies of the CD.

Quarashi is such a great relief to any fan even remotely interested in the rap/rock genre or even the industrial genre. Their killer beats, imaginative and lively lyrics, and absolutely great guitar riffs get you up and moving and never let you stop.

Quarashi's current single Stick Em Up is a great song to get you pumped up because of the constant beats and the loud, criss-crossing guitars with a riff you won't forget easily.

Another one of the songs on Jinx is entitled Tarfur. This happens to be the only rap song recorded and published in Icelandic. Although I doubt many people outside of Iceland will understand what is being said, the lyrics have a unique sound to them and it doesn't matter that they aren't in a language you know.

My personal favorite song on the new album is called Baseline. As the name suggests, the song has a heavy bass backbone. The lyrics are great and the chorus is always fun to rap along with.

Overall, this is easily the best album I own and very likely to be the best until Quarashi releases another one. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. Especially fans of the Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine.

5 stars out of 5

When I saw the video for "Stick 'Em Up", I was taken in by the song's catchiness as well as the fact that the video features the lead rapper in a boxing match! So I went out and bought the CD not knowing whether or not the risk was worth it...

Well, I've listened to the CD a few times already and all I can say is that if you like the Beastie Boys and Rage Against The Machine, then you'll love Quarashi. However, the Icelandic foursome doesn't quite match up to the aforementioned bands, if you know what I mean. The Beasties had developed wit and cleverness in their lyrics and music while Rage had an intense passion and focus in their music. Quarashi could use some improvement in their lyrics and sound. Like I said before, it's not all that bad, but their music and lyrics come across as slightly corny and juvenile at times (i.e., "Your mother is a stripper" or "I come on the mic like a fascist" (or something like that)? Please!) Still, I definitely see potential in this band and I believe they can be a much better band, given time. After all, it's only their debut album. Heck, look at the Beastie Boys. They've definitely come a long way since "Licensed To Ill"!

I listen to ALOT of music, all types of music. By far this CD has seriously changed the way i even look at music. They are just amazing, they have Rap, pop,rock,jazz,dance everything in this CD it isnt like any Cd i have and i never came across any kind of music like this, i sware this is my favorite Cd and i made 3 backup copies just in case something ever happens to this one. Hossi, the former lead singer, has so much soul to when he raps or sings, and its really rare now to find a rapper who can rap and sing.. and when they rap, its not like normal rapping, like talking about women in a degrating way, and talking about how much cash they have and the car they drive, its actually something to think about. I first heard then when i was playing Ampitude and when i heard there song i couldnt stop replaying it on my ps2..and finally i looked them up on the next and brought the CD it was the best 11 dollars i ever spent.I wouldnt Trade this CD for the world, and im not kidding either. But getting to the point if you really want to hear something to get you moving this Cd is just right, Stick em up is one of them that makes you want to get up and dance. I seriously have nothing bad to say about Quarashi exsept that im terribly sorry that Hossi had to leave the band. But they have a new band leader named Tiny, hes nothing like Hossi but hes cool. Back to the point. its totally worth buying this CD, theres a song for everyone on here to match anyones taste. in you noticed, everyone on the reviews has atleast one song they liked on the CD, and thats because they dont limit themselfs to only one genre. but many so everyone has something. Well i hope this review helped you and if not then atleast i got my feelings out.

Really love these guys. I never get tired of listing to the energetic songs while I exersize or something. I'm not a big fan of rap mostly because rap artists can't really sing or carry a tune and they often just talk about how awesome they are... but these guys know music... the songs are filled with emotion but still maintain a high regard for the acoustics.
If you like to jam while doing extreme sports, this album needs to be in your playlist.

All the negative (and most positve) reviews for this album are that its rap-rock all the way. I really hate it when these guys are classified as washed up rap-rock and ripping off the Beasties. They are nothing like the beasties. Maybe u should actually listen to the album and hear songs like Malone Lives, Transparent Parents, and Dive In. Solvi Blondal is the best guy in laying down the beats out there today. He can take any pretty much any kind of music and make it into a rap song, like Rock(Stick em' up, Weirdo), Slow-grooving pop(Transparent Parents), and Percussion based funk(Xeneizes). And Hossi, Steni, and Omar give a a great flow to the beats. This is a great band with awesome talent that can go real far.

I listen to many different things, because it makes me look sophisticated. So when I picked this CD up and took it home, I played it and after "Stick 'Em Up" I kind of squinted. "Stick 'Em Up" is followed by this strange sounding jazz-sample type song. A song which had nothing "rock" about it. There are semi-metallic songs on this record, but is it really fair to call this band "rap-rock", they do rap, and even rock sometimes, but songs like numbers 2, 4, 12, 7, 5 and others don't really reflect a desire to push the whole rap-rock enevelope. Now, songs like Baseline, F*** You Puto and stuff have hard rock guitars in them, but I notice little things, like the band hardly ever uses (or SOUNDS like it uses) real drums. There are spots, but not really, even though one of the guys is listed as playing "drums". Basically, this is a mostly rap record, and you can trust me when I say that the fact these guys are white, it hardly detracts from their ability to make your head bob. In fact, one of the rappers (I'm not sure which one), SORT OF sounds like Zack de la Rocha, but this is clearly no Rage record. I really liked most of the songs on this CD, even being not that much into rap. Quarashi takes rap and makes it good. I have read some comparisons to the Beastie Boys and what not, but this band doesn't sound like the Beastie Boys any more than Celine Dion, other than of course the fact that they rap. I'm not exactly sure where people get stuff like "rap-rock" and Beastie Boys, because while some rock is involved, it's not really something you could mosh to, you know what I mean? It's not rap-rock, and definitely not Rage, it's . . . . . . . Quarashi, they just be them and it works.

Well, I bought this CD not really knowing what exactly to expect. Like you probably have if you're reading this, I had heard "Stick 'Em Up" on the radio and loved it. So I got onto Amazon and read some of the reviews, then decided to go out and buy it. I was really surprised by how diverse the songs on this album are. They range from the semi-aggressiveness of the previously mentioned radio song to the softly sung "Dive In" to the Icelandic rap "Tarfur" to the laid back "Mr. Jinx." The sound of the band itself is very unique, but could best be compared to kind of a cross between Rage Against the Machine and Beastie Boys, with a more electronic sound and a greater range of experimentation. In fact, the other day I was walking near a store that was playing Rage's "Guerrilla Radio" and, for a moment before I could hear it well enough to recognize it, mistook it for "Weirdo." (I mean that in the very best way possible, especially considering that I am the biggest Rage fan on the face of the earth. Seriously.)

As much as I would love to give this CD five stars, it just isn't quite perfect enough, plus it's their major-label debut, so there's always room for improvement. Nonetheless, it is a great CD and, in my opinion, the best CD released thus far this year. My favorite song is "Mr. Jinx," but they are all good. Really, there is not a single bad song on the album. So go out and buy this CD. ...I promise you won't regret it. Even if you don't like every song, you'll still get your money's worth at such a low price. So buy it and enjoy it. Trust me.

The first time I heard the single, "Stick 'Em Up," I had to know who this band was. I was really surprised to find out that they're from Iceland! Every time I heard the song, I knew I was going to love their album. So when it came out I picked it up and I love it. They blend British back-beats with American-style rapping with a style all their own. This record is so energetic and fun, I just have to move when I listen to it. For guys who's native language is Icelandic, they rap better in English then most American rappers.
"I'm not even from America and I'll bury ya!"