Kalles World Tour are a quirky progressive/jazz-fusion band from Denmark led by drummer Kalle Mathiesen. The band has a few albums under their belt, Nu and Start, and on In the Streets, it's basically all Mathiesen doing his one-man band thing. Performing on a plastic bucket, a sack truck, cymbal, 6 string bass, samples, drums, and vocals (joined only by Lars Andreas Haug on tuba and vocals on a few tracks) the object here was to get a feel for the "street-gigs" that Kalle does on his own, which footage of are included in the bonus video on the CD.
This is pretty offbeat stuff overall, with moments of brilliant Zappa-like complexity like on "Kotelet" or the symphonic rock meets Gryphon flavored "You've Heard all this Before", you can easily say there's never a dull moment. As good a drummer as Kalle is, it's his performance on the bass that is really surprising. Check out his melodic chops on the jazzy "Jeg går ikke på akkorder", where he does his best Jaco Pastorius impression and shows some real groove and dexterity. Prog and fusion fans will really dig the rhythmic yet spacey sounds of "My Life So Far", which features some nimble drum work, deep bass grooves, and plenty of keyboard samples.
The live videos are a real hoot, with Kalle sitting on streetcorners with his bucket, cymbal, and sack truck, pounding away to a pre-recorded tape of keyboard samples. There's also footage from an actual concert, where he is performing a blistering drum solo. This CD is a must have for drummers who want to check out something a little different, and prog and fusion fans who like a little of the avant-garde.
Track Listing
1. Kotelet 2:45
2. You've heard all this before 5:11
3. Warum muss ich mit deinem socken im Mund schlafen 3:16
4. Er I os/Are you us? Part 2 3:52
5. Jeg går ikke på akkorder 5:34
6. Det globale knus 3:13
7. My life so far 7:40
8. Bonus Video with live performances 24:41