Lock-Sport-Krock

When a band's lead singer opts to pursue a solo career, some fans automatically assume that his/her solo projects will be a carbon copy of the band's material — or at least have some similarity. Ozzy Osbourne's solo albums weren't exact replicas of his albums with Black Sabbath, but they weren't radically different; nor were Philip Bailey's solo efforts a radical departure from the Earth, Wind & Fire LPs that made him a soul/funk superstar. But Nikola Sarcevic, on the other hand, throws his fans a major curve ball with his first solo project, Lock-Sport-Krock, which doesn't bear even the slightest resemblance to his work with the Swedish punk/alternative rock band Millencolin. Those who associate Sarcevic with Millencolin tend to think of him as a loud, brash, aggressive, in-your-face punk rocker, but on Lock-Sport-Krock, the Scandinavian vocalist makes a totally unexpected detour into adult alternative and folk-rock territory. The Sarcevic who emerges on this 2004 release is far from brash or in-your-face — he's a vulnerable, introspective singer/songwriter with a world-weary outlook and a dark, cynical view of romantic relationships. Sarcevic the solo artist isn't cynical in an angry, terribly bitter way; rather, he comes across as someone who has had so many disappointments in the love department (and perhaps other areas of life as well) that he cannot help but be melancholy. He gives the impression that he didn't want to become a cynic and spent a lot of time fighting his cynicism but ultimately gave into it after being hurt and let down too many times. Lock-Sport-Krock falls short of exceptional; it is, however, a sincere, enjoyably heartfelt and often poignant solo debut from the Swedish vocalist. Who would have expected this type of album from him?