Aukyton April 1, 2008

Just about the only Russian rock band to nurse out a sound that resists an easy matchup with a Western source, Auktyon is consistently and wholly original. They are a legend in their homeland and a cult band in continental Europe where they spend half of their time touring. Their sound keeps changing all the time and now, complete with assorted percussion, multi-reed player, a trumpeter and a tubist, it approaches tight jazzy arrangements of Charles Mingus or Radiohead Kid A style. Three Russians and one American got together in 1996 to unleash "Siberian surf rock." They invoke the spirit of Elvis with a special blend of Russian ethnic music, reckless surf rock and vintage high-energy rockabilly. The band also provided songs and the score to the 1998 film 'Six String Samurai.'