Millencolin frontman Nikola Sarcevic will get his debut solo album "Lock-Sport-Krock" released in the US on July 13 via Epitaph Records.

Nikola Sarcevic - Lock-Sport-Krock (Burning Heart)
So the frontman for Millencolin wants to try the sensitive singer/songwriter thing. Why not? It certainly seems to be what's cool these days. The problem is that he really doesn't have anything interesting to contribute to the genre. Aside from a more acoustic-based instrumentation, some slower tempos and indulgent heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics, most of the songs here really aren't that different from Nikola's stuff with the full band. Turn on the distortion, lay down a faster drumbeat and you'd be listening to Millencolin. On the other hand, the music is certainly a lot more country than I anticipated, but it's merely adequate. It would be ridiculous for me to call him a poseur or anything, but the playing comes across as someone who is trying to ape the various basic trappings of the genre without actually feeling or understanding it. Picture a yellow cd cover with the title "Country for Dummies". Sure, it's got the proper rhythms, chord progressions and some nicely played pedal steel, but it's lacking any sort of authentic emotional weight or feeling. Part of the problem is that the guitar playing is way too simple. Dashboard Confessional can strum a few basic chords and win hearts of teenage girls, but it takes a bit of picking to get my attention, or at least a bit more developed melodies and harmonies. All in all, I shouldn't get too down on this because it's really not that bad, but I was really hoping for something more than a vanity project.

Nikola Sarcevic
Lock-sport-krock
Burning Heart Records

So the frontman for Millencolin wants to try the sensitive singer/songwriter thing. Why not? It certainly seems to be what's cool these days. The problem is that he really doesn't have anything interesting to contribute to the genre. Aside from a more acoustic-based instrumentation, some slower tempos and indulgent heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics, most of the songs here really aren't that different from Nikola's stuff with the full band. Turn on the distortion, lay down a faster drumbeat and you'd be listening to Millencolin. On the other hand, the music is certainly a lot more country than I anticipated, but it's merely adequate. It would be ridiculous for me to call him a poseur or anything, but the playing comes across as someone who is trying to ape the various basic trappings of the genre without actually feeling or understanding it. Picture a yellow cd cover with the title "Country for Dummies". Sure, it's got the proper rhythms, chord progressions and some nicely played pedal steel, but it's lacking any sort of authentic emotional weight or feeling. Part of the problem is that the guitar playing is way too simple. Dashboard Confessional can strum a few basic chords and win hearts of teenage girls, but it takes a bit of picking to get my attention, or at least a bit more developed melodies and harmonies. All in all, I shouldn't get too down on this because it's really not that bad, but I was really hoping for something more than a vanity project.
- Avi Roig

Even though Nikola Sarcevic just put out a solo album, that doesn't mean that Millencolin is being put aside. The band recently started writing songs and rehearsing for their sixth album. They plan to enter the studio in August and should hopefully have something out early next year.

German webzine Sellfish has posted an interview Nikola Sarcevic from Millencolin where they talk about his new solo album: http://sellfish.inserteffekt.com/_start.php?link=interviews/nikola.htm
And, as usual, there's the usual round-up of reviews for the week:

Alyson Avenue - Omega
The Bones - Straight flush ghetto
Erlend Oye - DJ kicks
Evergrey - The inner circle
Promoe - The long distance runner

The new Nikola Sarcevic video for "Lovetrap" is now up at the Burning Heart website: low / high

Via Dagensskiva, here's this week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (01) Graham Coxon "Freakin' Out"
02. (04) Marit Bergman Feat. Cecilia Nordlund "Adios Amigos"
03. (02) Promoe "These Walls Don't Lie"
04. (05) The White Stripes "There's No Home For You Here"
05. (03) Teddybears Sthlm Feat. Mad Cobra "Cobrastyle"
06. (06) Infinite Mass "No.1 Swartskalle"
07. (10) Phoenix "Everything Is Everything"
08. (NY) The Streets "Fit But You Know It"
09. (07) Geeza "I Know You Don't Like Me (I Hate You)"
10. (NY) Her Space Holiday "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend"
11. (11) Kanye West "Through The Wire"
12. (NY) Basement Jaxx "Plug It In"
13. (NY) Pitch Black "It's All Real"
14. (08) I Am Kloot "From Your Favourite Sky"
15. (09) Syd Matters "Black & White Eyes"
16. (15) Ima Robot "Alive"
17. (12) Nikola Sarcevic "Lovetrap"
18. (18) Swan Lee "I Don't Mind"
19. (13) The Vines "Ride"
20. (NY) Jens Lekman "You Are The Light"

Leaving the chart:
14. Tiger Lou "Oh Horatio"
16. The Von Bondies "C'mon C'mon"
18. Laakso "Aussie Girl"
19. Ash "Clones"
20. Gomez "Catch Me Up"

Via Dagensskiva, here's this week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (04) Graham Coxon "Freakin' Out"
02. (02) Promoe "These Walls Don't Lie"
03. (03) Teddybears Sthlm Feat. Mad Cobra "Cobrastyle"
04. (01) Marit Bergman Feat. Cecilia Nordlund "Adios Amigos"
05. (NY) The White Stripes "There's No Home For You Here"
06. (05) Infinite Mass "No.1 Swartskalle"
07. (16) Geeza "I Know You Don't Like Me (I Hate You)"
08. (NY) I Am Kloot "From Your Favourite Sky"
09. (08) Syd Matters "Black & White Eyes"
10. (10) Phoenix "Everything Is Everything"
11. (10) Kanye West "Through The Wire"
12. (06) Nikola Sarcevic "Lovetrap"
13. (09) The Vines "Ride"
14. (11) Tiger Lou "Oh Horatio"
15. (14) Ima Robot "Alive"
16. (18) The Von Bondies "C'mon C'mon"
17. (13) Swan Lee "I Don't Mind"
18. (17) Laakso "Aussie Girl"
19. (ÅT) Ash "Clones"
20. (07) Gomez "Catch Me Up"

Leaving the chart:
15. Spring In Paris "Can I Stay"
19. Placebo "English Summer Rain"
20. Damien Rice "Volcano"

Oswald and Henke from The Peepshows will be teaming up with Tomas from Bombshell Rocks to back fellow Burning Heart artist Nikola Sarcevic (Millencolin) when he does his record release party at Kelly's in Örebro, Sweden on March 26. As mentioned before, Nikola's debut solo album "Lock-Sport-Krock" comes out March 29 from BHR.

New Scandinavian music reviews from German webzine Sellfish:

Headplate - Pieces
In Flames - Soundtrack to your escape
Moneybrother - Blood panic
Nikola Sarcevic - Lock-sport-krock
Panik - A page torn
Takara - Eternity - The best of 1993 - 1998

Via Dagensskiva, here's this week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (01) Marit Bergman Feat. Cecilia Nordlund "Adios Amigos"
02. (02) Promoe "These Walls Don't Lie"
03. (03) Teddybears Sthlm Feat. Mad Cobra "Cobrastyle"
04. (15) Graham Coxon "Freakin' Out"
05. (08) Infinite Mass "No.1 Swartskalle"
06. (10) Nikola Sarcevic "Lovetrap"
07. (05) Gomez "Catch Me Up"
08. (07) Syd Matters "Black & White Eyes"
09. (NY) The Vines "Ride"
10. (11) Phoenix "Everything Is Everything"
11. (12) Tiger Lou "Oh Horatio"
12. (17) Kanye West "Through The Wire"
13. (19) Swan Lee "I Don't Mind"
14. (04) Ima Robot "Alive"
15. (06) Spring In Paris "Can I Stay"
16. (NY) Geeza "I Know You Don't Like Me (I Hate You)"
17. (09) Laakso "Aussie Girl"
18. (13) The Von Bondies "C'mon C'mon"
19. (NY) Placebo "English Summer Rain"
20. (14) Damien Rice "Volcano"

Leaving the chart:
16. Jens Lekman "Rocky Dennis In Heaven EP"
18. Ash "Clones"
20. Bring Me The Fucking Riot...Man "In Love With The Riot"

Download the song "Nobody Without You" off of the upcoming debut solo album from Nikola Sarcevic of Millencolin: http://www.burningheart.com/mp3/nikola_sarcevic_-_nobody_without_you.mp3

Via Dagensskiva, here's this week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (02) Marit Bergman Feat. Cecilia Nordlund "Adios Amigos"
02. (04) Promoe "These Walls Don't Lie"
03. (07) Teddybears Sthlm Feat. Mad Cobra "Cobrastyle"
04. (NY) Ima Robot "Alive"
05. (NY) Gomez "Catch Me Up"
06. (15) Spring In Paris "Can I Stay"
07. (14) Syd Matters "Black & White Eyes"
08. (NY) Infinite Mass "No.1 Swartskalle"
09. (05) Laakso "Aussie Girl"
10. (NY) Nikola Sarcevic "Lovetrap"
11. (01) Phoenix "Everything Is Everything"
12. (03) Tiger Lou "Oh Horatio"
13. (06) The Von Bondies "C'mon C'mon"
14. (08) Damien Rice "Volcano"
15. (09) Graham Coxon "Freakin' Out"
16. (11) Jens Lekman "Rocky Dennis In Heaven EP"
17. (NY) Kayne West "Through The Wire"
18. (NY) Ash "Clones"
19. (10) Swan Lee "I Don't Mind"
20. (13) Bring Me The Fucking Riot...Man "In Love With The Riot"

Leaving the chart:
12. The Legends "Call It Ours"
16. Josh Rouse "Come Back (Light Therapy)"
17. N.E.R.D. "She Wants To Move"
18. Atmosphere "Trying To Find A Balance"
19. Mattias Hellberg "Walking Restless"
20. Starsailor "Four To The Floor"

It's been talked about here before, but now it's official: Nikola Sarcevic of Millencolin will be releasing a solo album. The disc will be called "Lock-Sport-Krock" and will be out on Burning Heart on March 29. Here's what Nikola had to say about it:

"Last summer I entered [Kalle from TSOOL's] Svenska Grammofon Studion in Gothenburg to record something that would eventually turn out as an album. Together with Henrik Wind (the Peepshows), Thomas Falk (Bombshell Rocks), Mieszko Talarczyk (Nasum) and some other friends and musicians, I recorded 13 songs, of which 11 will be on the album. Soundwise, the material ranges from Boogie-Woogie to Country and Folkrock. I think the word love is mentioned in each and every song, so If there is a "Theme of the album", it's definitely LOVE. Otherwise I would say that the songs are quite different to each other and a lot different to what I've done with Millencolin. I hope you will check it out!"