Útidúr (pronounced: ooh - detour) is a ten piece group from Iceland that plays joyous and ambitious chamber-pop with a dramatic streak. Although this crew is quite (midnight) sunny in attitude they also know their way through darker waters. Trace elements of Angelo Badalamenti, Beirut, Calexico and Ennio Morricone can be found in their system so fans of these should expose themselves to Útidúr in any way they deem appropriate.
Formed by guitarist/singer Gunnar Örn and keyboardist Kristinn Roach, Útidúr started churning out multifaceted songwriting that soon chain-reacted the project to mushroom into a twelve strong bunch. The full posse now includes players of double bass, drums, trumpet, violins, a second guitar and an accordion. The band has honed their craft for a while and began playing at various venues in downtown Reykjavík in late summer of 2009.
Útidúr's debut album 'This Mess We've Made' is out now and was recorded at the Sigur Rós owned recording studio 'Sundlaugin' in the summer of 2010. The album is big in sound, featuring over 20 musicians, and you can expect a spacious blend of bipolar drama and sofa-sinking mellowness, all soaked in hook-laden pop sensibility.