The Scottish Album Of The Year (SAY) Award Shortlist Revealed
- Written by Marky Edison
The ten shortlisted albums for the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award were revealed last evening at a special BBC Music Day programming of the BBC Radio Scotland Quay Sessions. The selected albums continue to confirm Scotland as a nation with incredible cultural importance, especially within music. Last year’s SAY Award winner Anna Meredith visited the town of Paisley, host to this year’s SAY Award ceremony earlier today where she was greeted with a giant SAY Award logo outside Paisley Gilmour Street Station.
The SAY Award 2017 Shortlist is as follows (in alphabetical order):
C Duncan The Midnight Sun
Ela Orleans Circles Of Upper And Lower Hell
Honeyblood Babes Never Die
Konx-om-Pax Caramel
Meursault I Will Kill Again
Mogwai Atomic
Pictish Trail Future Echoes [Public Vote Winner]
Rachel Newton Here’s My Heart Come Take It
RM Hubbert Telling The Trees
Sacred Paws Strike A Match
The public can listen to and learn more about each album on The SAY Award Shortlist by visiting www.sayaward.com
Beginning in March, the process has taken almost 300 public submissions, to 20 Longlisted records, chosen by a panel of 100 impartial nominators, to the Shortlist of 10 albums; one of which was chosen by the public through a 72-hour online vote and the other 9 chosen by an independent panel of judges. This year’s shortlisted artists have each won £1,000, provided by long-term award partner Creative Scotland. In addition to this, each artist will be awarded with an exclusively designed trophy created by the winner of The SAY Design Commission, Lisa Crockard.
The 72-hour voting window, which closed at midnight on Wednesday, saw Pictish Trail being voted on to the shortlist by the public. Johnny Lynch, who goes under the guise of Pictish Trail said; "Wow. Surprised, confused, humbled and mildly aroused to have won the popular vote for the Scottish Album Of The Year Shortlist. Thank you to all those that voted for Future Echoes, and to all those who forgot to vote but who would have voted for a different album. I couldn’t have done it without you. "
Judges include Stuart Cosgrove (Writer/Broadcaster), Caroline Winn (Glasgow International), Roland Gulliver (Edinburgh International Book Festival), Amy Liptrot (Writer), Claire Gevaux (Help Musicians UK), Tallah Brash (The Skinny), Lauren Martin (Music Journalist), Andy Hannah (Line Of Best Fit), David Scott (University of the West of Scotland), Barry Price (Sub Club), Stephanie McWhinnie (TV Producer), John Williamson [CHAIR] (Glasgow University).