Yorktown Heights was the only solo album by Feeder frontman Grant Nicholas. The album was released on 11 August 2014 in the United Kingdom and recorded during 2013, being a year after Nicholas announced at Feeder's final show of 2012 at the Brixton Academy that the band would be taking a break. It was with the first airplay of "Soul Mates" on the BBC Radio 2 show The Dermot O'Leary Show on 31 May 2014, that Grant's solo career made its radio debut.
| Yorktown Heights | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 11 August 2014 (UK)[1] 23 July 2014 (JAP)[2] |
| Recorded | 2013 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 54:58 |
| Label | Popping Candy (UK) Victor (Japan) |
| Producer | Grant Nicholas |
Grant would tour the album at the end of 2014 after two one off shows before its release. After a 2015 tour, a mini-album titled Black Clouds was released before the "Everyday Society" single was released for Record Store Day, bringing Grant's solo career to a close. Feeder later resumed activity with their 2016 album All Bright Electric, and the 2017 compilation album The Best of Feeder which included new material on the bonus album Arrow. Both albums featured tracks originally intended for the solo album, but were re-recorded for Feeder ("Slint" and "Veins", which maintains the original vocal track). Some have yet to see the light of day, being "Rats" and "The Wall's Around Us".
Grant would in 2015 after bringing his solo career to an end, make this official by closing down Popping Candy and Big Teeth Music, before then closing down his solo career website and Twitter handle.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Grant Nicholas
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Soul Mates" | 3:21 |
| 2. | "Hitori" | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Tall Trees" | 5:03 |
| 4. | "Robots" | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Vampires" | 3:55 |
| 6. | "Good Fortune Lies Ahead" | 2:01 |
| 7. | "Joan of Arc" | 3:58 |
| 8. | "Hope" | 3:22 |
| 9. | "Isolation" | 3:36 |
| 10. | "Broken Resolutions" | 4:07 |
| 11. | "Time Stood Still" | 3:14 |
| 12. | "Father To Son" | 4:22 |
| 13. | "Counting Steps" | 4:02 |
| 14. | "Silent in Space" | 3:32 |
| 15. | "Safe in Place" | 3:18 |
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Classic Rock |   [4] |
| Digital Fix | [5] |
| Drowned In Sound | [6] |
| GigSlutz |   [7] |
| Renowned for Sound | [8] |
| SeenItHeardIt | [9] |
Early reviews for the album have been positive, with Renowned For Sound giving it a 4/5, describing it as "a very introvert and self reflecting record" and calling it "a first solo effort he can be proud of."[10] GigSlutz also gave the record a 4/5, commenting that "it continues to surprise and sounds fresh throughout" and concluding that "fans of Feeder and Grant Nicholas will not be disappointed."[11]
Chart performance
edit| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Official Albums Chart | 29 |
References
edit- ^ "Premiere: Grant Nicholas - Soul Mates".
- ^ "エラー | ビクターエンタテインメント".
- ^ "Yorktown Heights". Amazon UK.
- ^ Batcup, Tim. "Review: Grant Nicholas: Yorktown Heights". Classic Rock. Team Rock Limited. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ Mazonowicz, Max (7 August 2014). "Grant Nicholas - Yorktown Heights". Poisonous Monkey Limited. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ Gourlay, Don (13 August 2014). "Grant Nicholas - Yorktown Heights". Drowned In Sound. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ Mills, Bazza (7 August 2014). "Album Review: Grant Nicholas - 'Yorktown Heights'". GigSlutz. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ Parmeter, Jamie (2 August 2014). "Album Review: Grant Nicholas - Yorktown Heights". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ Cook, Adam (11 August 2014). "Grant Nicholas - Yorktown Heights Review". Seen It Heard It. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ "Album Review: Grant Nicholas – Yorktown Heights – Renowned for Sound".
- ^ "Album Review: Grant Nicholas - 'Yorktown Heights'". 24 July 2014.