Timur And The Dime Museum Offer Up Post-Punk Screaming Opera

If you put Borat and Rufus Wainwright in a band you might wind up with the unique sound that belongs to Timur and the Dime Museum, a five piece chamber orchestra featuring viola, cello, accordion, guitar and bass, and fronted by Kazakhstan-born Timur Bekbosunov.

The Los Angeles Times has called him a "riot with a with a stratospheric voice." Hits magazine said "with his dark Goth manner, lopsided haircut and sickly pallor, this incredible Bryan Ferry-ish tenor could well be cast in an upcoming "Twilight" sequel."

The band is out with a new album, "X-ray Sunsets."

The classically trained Bekbosunov has made solo appearances with symphonies and opera companies including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Opera Boston and the Israeli Opera.

"I discovered that I can use my voice in so many different directions that often you are not allowed to do in classical opera, even contemporary opera," Bekbosunov told Here & Now's Robin Young. "I love playing with different extremes of the voice, high and low. We kind of a post-punk screaming opera."

From Timur and the Dime Museum's new album "X-ray Sunsets":

"Here with me" (music and lyrics by Daniel Corral)

"Until the break of dawn" (music by David Tranchina and lyrics by Daniel Corral)

"Solder" (performed at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles)