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).

Steve Bronski has teamed up with singer Stephen Granville and programmer Ian Donaldson to create an updated line‐up of this classic, much‐loved synth-pop band. Their new album, The Age of Reason, is their first in 22 years. With The Age of Reason, the trio pay homage to the origins of Bronski Beat through an inventive and inspired reworking of their landmark debut album The Age of Consent. But, crucially, they also present a template for the future direction of this latest Bronski Beat line-‐up with three all new songs and a generous offering of celebratory dance mixes thereof.

The first of these new tracks is an inventive cover of the queercore disco classic, Sylvester's 'Stars' (written by the scene legend Patrick Cowley), which has been given a refreshing electro-soul makeover. There's an all new song, 'I'll Be Gone' that celebrates, with Bronski Beat's trademark searing vocals, the euphoric self-‐realisation gained in ditching a less than perfect love affair. There's also palpable evidence that Bronski Beat have lost none of their social campaigning and gay activist zeal by virtue of the inclusion of their heart-breaking tribute in song to the recently murdered Brazilian transsexual Dandara dos Santos. 'Flower For Dandara' is a sensitive, sung eulogy to the victim of a callous lynching by a gang of transphobic thugs; an act that was so horrific that it made global headlines. 'Flower For Dandara' also makes an appearance on the second 'New & Remixed' disc with four variant versions that feature the voice of Rose McDowall, singer with cult ‘80s favourites Strawberry Switchblade.

Bronski Beat have been a going concern since 1983's trail-blazing The Age of Consent album; there have been a number of different singers through the years that have included Jimmy Somerville, Jon Jon Foster and Jonathan Hellyer, all of whom made their mark on the history and development of one of the leading queer electro-pop bands of our time. The constant in all the line-‐ups to date has been their chief songwriter and programmer, the genius producer and founding member that is Steve Bronski.

 Disc One

1. Why?

2. No More War / It Ain’t Necessarily So

3. Screaming

4. Love & Money

5. Smalltown Boy

6. Heatwave

7. Junk

8. Need A Man Blues

9. Close To The Edge

10. Hard Rain

11. Run From Love

12. A Flower For Dandara

Disc Two

1. Stars (Radio Edit)

2. Stars (Extended Mix)

3. Stars (Sordid Soundz Remix)

4. Stars (Qubiq Cosmic Energy Extended Mix)

5. Stars (S.S. Darkstar Mix)

6. I’ll Be Gone

7. I’ll Be Gone (Dub & Dusted Mix)

8. I’ll Be Gone (Stompin’ Stiletto Mix)

9. I’ll Be Gone (S.S. Down & Out Mix)

10. A Flower For Dandara (Radio Edit)

11. A Flower For Dandara (Sordid Soundz Edit)

12. A Flower For Dandara (Extended)

13. A Flower For Dandara (Sordid Soundz Extended)