Quarashi - Jinx
Label: Columbia Records
Rating: 
 

From the land of Bjork comes a far less inventive act. The Icelandic band Quarashi's major label debut Jinx is rap metal's last gasp for air before Korn return to show their descendants how it's done.

The album's main problem amounts to a more pronounced case of Linkin Park Syndrome: too much production, not enough substance. However, in �Park's defense, at least they had commercial success and came out at the height of the boom. The timing with which Jinx was released almost guarantees its failure. That, and the co-vocalist's thick accent which lends several tracks an air of embarrassing Swedish Chef metal. You know the industry is hurting when foreigners are mimicking one of this country's worst genres.

Things aren't all bad. As with any over-produced album, the beats create a nice background and show a lot of promise. Songs like "Mr. Jinx" and "Transparent Parents" start out with nice bass-laden jazz grooves that set you up for something seemingly ambitious.

But then they start singing.

Right from the get-go track, the lead single "Stick �em Up," the vocalists trade off inane lyrics where they talk trash like life in Iceland is a constant playground struggle. The more prominent singer sounds like Zach de la Rocha gave up being a political activist and started hanging out with Fred Durst. This same kind of attitude continues in tracks like the ironically appropriate "Copy Cat," wherein Accent Boy is at his thickest.

Perhaps worse than Quarashi's pseudo-gangsta rap is their attempts at reggae. If they tried it once, solely on "Baseline," it might have been cute, but when Swedish Chef singer starts quoting Shaggy's "Boombastic" on "Weirdo," the camel's back breaks.

VERDICT: European groups are supposed to release esoteric art/prog rock or beautiful yet somber pop tunes or at the very least good techno. Jinx is just bad Zebrahead, and as much as the listener might wish the band would realize halfway through the album that they're just a bunch of posers, the album seems to cycle through itself again. 

Compliments are due to the producer though, as any band this uncreative could not have written all that music on their own.