SOME of Scotland’s top artists have spoken about their favourite albums of the year ahead of next week’s highly anticipated SAY Longlist announcement.

Next week, the Scottish Album of the Year Award will bring artists, industry and music fans together in an incredible celebration of Scottish music at their Live at the Longlist event. Taking place at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh on 26th July, the twenty albums which make up this year’s Longlist will be announced in front of a live audience while attendees will also be treated to exclusive live performances from C Duncan, Kobi Onyame, Modern Studies and Rod Jones.

Ahead of the Live at the Longlist announcement, previous SAY nominees Kathryn Joseph, Mogwai, Honeyblood and The Spook School have shared personal accounts about their favourite albums of the past year.

Mogwai guitarist Stuart Braithwaite, spoke to The SAY Award unveiling his top record from the last 12 months and an album he’d love to see on The SAY Award Longlist saying: “The record (alongside all the releases on Rock Action, obviously!) that I’d love to see on The SAY Longlist is ‘Throne’ by Heather Leigh. She’s a fantastic experimental musician and it’d be great for her music to reach as many people as possible.”

Previous SAY Award winner Kathryn Joseph shared the heartfelt, “All my parts are crossed that The Twilight Sad get the win they deserve. ‘It Won/t Be Like This All the Time’ is a perfect and beautiful record and they are the best of all humans.”

Stina Tweeddale from Glasgow’s Honeyblood said: “The Twilight Sad’s ‘It Won/t Be Like This All the Time’ is an exceptional album that cements the band as a pillar of Scottish music. It really blew me away. It brings them to a new dimension of bigger and better without destroying the central elements of their unique sound. Carla J. Easton’s ‘Impossible Stuff’ sees Carla step into her own with this record and push through into a more vulnerable place with her song-writing while still holding on to her pop sensibilities. I absolutely love it.”

Niall McCamley from The Spook School said: “Free Love’s album is so fun, so catchy, so dreamy. I feel they can take me to a party and also gently put me in a state of meditation. The Kapil Seshasayee record always blows me away, it is so important and relevant, and it sounds so good. The Hector Collectorsare just so much fun and I love their brains!

After another huge year for Scottish music, the SAY Award moves to Edinburgh for the first time this year with Live at the Longlist taking place at the Queen’s Hall to coincide with its 40th anniversary celebrations. Meanwhile, the final ceremony will move to the Assembly Rooms on 6th September.

Tickets for Live at the Longlist are available here.