Quarashi

Though Icelandic rap-rock outfit Quarashi finally saw their U.S debut released in early 2002, the band had been honing its music since the mid-'90s. Producer/drummer Sölvi Blondal and vocalists/rappers Hössi Olafsson, Steini Fjelsted (a former Icelandic skating champion as well as a graffiti artist), and Omar Swarez formed Quarashi (pronounced "kwa-ra'-she") in 1996. The band's name, a term meaning "supernatural," was adopted from a nickname given to Fjelsted. The quartet's full-length debut was recorded in October of 1997. In support of the album, the band opened for the Fuge...