Courage Reels, the long-awaited debut album by Wozniak is released on 21 April on Morningside Young Team Records, and the pre-sale started on 7 April. Wozniak have drawn comparisons with the likes of Mogwai, Slowdive and No Joy.  The band shared ‘Perihelion’ from the album in February, and that first taster has built anticipation for their first full-length release. Following the success of their earlier EPs (Pikes Peak, 2014 + Auster, 2015) the four-piece decided to forego gigs in 2016 so that they could concentrate on making their debut album. The result is their most complex and creative collection of songs to date.

Over the nine tracks, the band fully explore their wide-ranging sonic aesthetic, taking inspiration from a diverse range of sources, including the woozy wall of sound of the original shoegaze scene, the relentless drive of krautrock, the pure power of Black Sabbath and the expansive majesty of post-rock. These elements come together to form a sound that is uniquely Wozniak - dense, sweeping soundscapes, with driving drums, fuzzed out bass and a symphony of guitars. Largely instrumental, where Wozniak do include vocals they float over the wall of noise, a gossamer sheen hinting at the turmoil that lies beneath.

Recorded with Craig Ross at the Depot Studios in Edinburgh throughout 2016, the tumultuous events across the world that year crept into the recordings. At times the album howls with rage, at other times it is a sorrowful lament. Themes of loss, shadows and foreboding are woven throughout, yet the album demonstrates Wozniak’s ability to apply light and shade to create a compelling and rewarding experience.

Listen for yourself here

Gigs:

21 April –Nice n Sleazy’s, Glasgow –with Spectres

28 April –Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh –with We Came From the North

The full track listing is:

1.Shader

2.Ghosting

3.Super Panther

4.Perihelion

5.Scottish Dancer

6.Natsuko

7.Erebus

8.Crush

9.Death Suit

The Scottish Album of the Year 2017 (SAY Award) has announced the ‘Live at the Longlist' concert, an event to exclusively reveal this years Longlist, as well as gigs from SAY Award alumni. The gig is taking place in Glasgow on May 24th and tickets are on sale now from www.sayaward.com.

The SAY Award is a prestigious and exciting arts prize produced by the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), with confirmed partners for 2017 including Paisley for UK City of Culture 2021, Creative Scotland, TicketWeb and PPL. The award celebrates, promotes and rewards the most outstanding Scottish albums released each year. Respected by artists and valued by the industry, The SAY Award is responsible for a surge in musical discovery and an explosion of impassioned debate on social media.

Once all eligible albums have been collated, 100 impartial ‘Nominators’, chosen from press, radio, music venues, jazz, classical, traditional folk, retail and elsewhere in the arts, consider titles from The SAY Award’s Eligible Album List, nominating their five favourite albums and ranking them in order of preference. The 20 highest scoring albums make up The SAY Award Longlist for 2017.

The Longlist will be further whittled down to a shortlist of 10 albums, one of which will be chosen by the public during a 72-hour public vote (12-14 June) and the others decided by a panel of prestigious judges. The SAY Award 2017 Shortlist will be announced on June 15th as part of a BBC Quay Sessions show, with the award ceremony then taking place on June 28th in the surroundings of Paisley's elegant Town Hall, in support of Paisley’s bid for Paisley to become UK City of Culture 2021. The winning artist will pick up a £20,000 cash prize, provided by long term Award partner Creative Scotland. The 9 runners up will each be awarded a £1,000 prize, as well as an exclusively designed piece of artwork from the SAY Award Design Commission.

For the second year running, The SAY Award ceremony will be taking place in the historic town of Paisley, a place with a deep cultural heritage, not only in music but across the arts. The town has a thriving music scene and is fast establishing itself as a key destination on Scotland's major events map. To be able to attract and host an event of the importance of the SAY Award is a big boost for Paisley ahead of the town's bid to be UK City of Culture 2021 being lodged."

Previous winners of the Award include Bill Wells and Aiden Moffat (2012), RM Hubbert (2013), Young Fathers (2014), Kathryn Joseph (2015) and last years winner Anna Meredith, who won with her critically acclaimed full length debut album Varmints.