Jinx

Iceland has given the world two uncompromising, hyper-intelligent musical exports in the last decade or so: Björk and Sigur Rós. Not bad for a nation of 300,000 people. Iceland’s latest export, Quarashi, rarely approaches the boundless creativity of their countrymen, but there’s still plenty to recommend about their U.S. debut, Jinx. It’s rap-rock, more or less, but being raised on an island the size of a postage stamp, the men of Quarashi apparently aren’t aware that rap-rock is meant to suck. “Mr. Jinx” cops a wicked, James Bond–style sample, giving the tune a genuine swagger, while “Dive In” and “Bless” upend expectations with pulsing dance rhythms. Sinewy grooves and seductive melodies snake through the sneaky, trip-hop–tinged, “Malone Lives” and the Icelandic-language rap “Tarfur.” Occasionally, Quarashi pound us over the head with heavy riffs and booming beats (“Stick ’Em Up,” “Copycat”) that make them sound like a limper Bizkit, but it’s a rare enough occurrence that we won’t hold it against them.