Earlier this month I received a press release containing the nominations for a well-established UK-based Independent Music Awards which claimed to span the full spectrum of genres. Disappointingly, although the list of names was impressive there was a distinct absence of folk music.
Then, along came the Scottish Album of the Year Award Longlist…a completely different story…
With previous Longlist titles featuring hip-hop, rock, alternative, traditional, folk, classical, dubstep, reggae, pop and jazz, The SAY Award accommodates Scottish music in all its influential, inspiring and idiosyncratic glory. From mainstream platinum sellers to self-released left-field outriders, The SAY Award illuminates Scotland’s music scene with the ambition, credibility and commitment it so richly deserves.
The longlist includes 20 albums of which nearly a quarter are by artists that were covered here on Folk Radio. A sign that folk music is not only thriving well in Scotland but that Scottish Music Industry Association which produces the award is actively supporting the scene – how it should be. It’s a shame other similar awards can’t follow suit and broaden their music coverage.
The SAY Award is now in its seventh year and is Scotland’s most popular and prestigious music prize. The winning artist will pick up a £20,000 prize – provided by long-term Award partner Creative Scotland – with the nine runners-up each receiving £1,000.
Those featured on Folk Radio UK
Karine Polwart with Pippa Murphy — A Pocket of Wind Resistance (Hudson Records)
A previous Artist of the Month (Review | Interview). “A Pocket Of Wind Resistance isn’t so much a collection of songs, it’s theatre for the ears, but it surpasses radio drama. All the tension, the joy, the craft that’s part of the immersive experience of going to the theatre is achieved without the visual elements. Karine Polwart‘s music and poetry, with Pippa Murphy‘s exquisite settings, haven’t replicated the theatre production; it has brought Wind Resistance to a wider audience, furnished it with portability. Beautiful, potent, and engaging; A Pocket of Wind Resistance gives Karine Polwart’s enthralling theatrical début a satisfying permanence.” Neil McFadyen (Folk Radio UK)
Elephant Sessions – All We Have Is Now (Self Released)
Album Review. “All We Have Is Now is an album evocative of lazy days and party nights, and one which shows the band’s versatility and willingness to stray from their familiar rock-inspired territory. With tunes that rely on polish as much as on pace, Elephant Sessions are certainly not standing still in the race to create the next defining sound for folk music.” Martha Buckley (Folk Radio UK)
Adam Holmes and the Embers – Midnight Milk (Gogar Records)
A previous Featured Album of the Month (Review). “On the surface, it seems that with each successive release Adam Holmes and the Embers move further from the acoustic/folk beginnings that were a feature of Heirs and Graces, but those influences are still there. What has progressed is Adam’s approach to his music, his flexibility as a song writer, his willingness to mine the rich creativity behind his work and bring to the surface previously unimagined gems. With the warm serenity of Midnight Milk, Adam Holmes and the Embers have created an album that digs deep into the soul and finds it a place of calm comfort.” Neil McFadyen (Folk Radio UK)
Blue Rose Code – The Water of Leith (Navigator Records)
A previous Featured Album of the Month (Review). “It’s easy to delve deep into this music, and there are poetic pearls to find there. What comes through more clearly than anything, though, is Ross Wilson thriving on being back on home ground. With Angus Lyon’s invaluable help he has brought together a core band and special guests that place his memorable songs in an undeniably Scottish setting. To write and record four such impressive albums in the same number years is an achievement in itself, but to round them off with a work that finds him returning home in such an emphatically forward-looking manner is very much the icing on the cake. The Water Of Leith is proof positive that Ross Wilson can take his gift for songwriting and recording beyond the ghosts of his past, that Blue Rose Code has a future just as creative, and every bit as rewarding for the listener.” Neil McFadyen (Folk Radio UK)
Siobhan Wilson – There Are No Saints (Song, By Toad Records)
Her EP ‘Say It’s True‘ was Featured on Folk Radio UK, in his review, Simon Holland described it as “a great set of songs, blessed with some blissful tunes and the kind of careful, skilful arrangements that suggest huge promise in store.”
That promise materialised with her debut album There Are No Saints. Siobhan declared “A lot of laughing, tears, paint and sweat went into the writing and recording of this record”, and that energy seems to have paid off well. Video feature for Dark Matter.
Chris Stout and Catriona McKay – Bare Knuckle (Self Released)
The music on Bare Knuckle is almost entirely self-penned such as Louise’s Waltz, a composition by Catriona. We features a video of them performing the tune in a cottage in Cellardyke here as our Tune of the Day. “We are so proud of this new album ‘Bare Knuckle’. It’s a huge development for us and we can’t wait to perform it live!”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music, Creative Scotland, said: “The SAY Award has always shone a high-profile spotlight on new artists, providing career-changing moments for past winners such as Kathryn Joseph and Young Fathers. It is encouraging to see so many debut and second albums on this year’s list – a recognition of the fantastic new generation of talent that’s pouring out of Scotland. This award is also a vindication for independent and grassroots labels whose releases continue to overshadow the majors when it comes to sheer quality of music”.
You can learn more and listen to those albums listed by visiting sayaward.com. Everyday from Monday 6 August until Sunday 19 August they will be sharing their Albums of the Day on social media using #SAYlonglist18.