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Quarashi
Jinx (Time Bomb Recordings)
By: Anthony E. Davis, Esq.
 I had never heard of Quarashi before getting this cd, even though they are on Sony Entertainment, and even though they rock. Quarashi are from Iceland. They are Solvi, Hossi, Stoney and Omar and they appear along with several other guest artists on this cd, their first major release. Quarashi is an interesting mix of rap and industrial and rage rock. Think of them as a cross between Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine, with a bit of Portishead and a gift for crafting smart songs with great hooks. The album does not have a consistent theme, but that makes it all the more fun to listen to. The opening title, "Stick 'Em Up" starts hard and stays hard throughout, and sounds a lot like Rage. It makes you want to jump up and down, bang your head and drive fast. The next track, "Mr. Jinx" is well produced with a great pop/disco hook, great mixing and sampling, and the interspersed three-way rapping sounds a lot like the Beasties -- which is a good thing. Its possibly my favorite track on the album. But there are many great ones. "Malone Lives" offers up a completely different sound, with an interesting pop/funk mix, no rapping, and a great hook. Throughout the album they keep it interesting, and they keep it tight. Also noteworthy are "Dive In" -- which is an almost Emo-Rock ballad, which for some reason reminds me of the Stone Roses. Also check out "Bless" which is an astral drum and bass diddy. Sometimes they sound so much like the Beastie Boys, I might be irritated if I were the Beastie Boys (in the same manner that Creed would piss me off if I were Eddy Vedder). But I'm not the Beastie Boys, and love the Beasties, so the quasi-Beastie tracks please my ears, and the other genres they explore are equally pleasing. This is one of the best albums I've heard this year. If you hate the Beasties and Rage don't buy this. If you like them, and a good mix of other music. Go buy it. Its a lot better then the metal rap crapping spilling over the racks at you local record store.
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