<PIG> has recently announced a new album entitled Candy filled with covers of classic tracks, which is set to be released this upcoming June. This upcoming album is currently available for pre-order and will be released on both vinyl and CD formats.
This latrest release follows up another covers project that he released last December for the holiday season entitled Black Mass. This three track EP held covers of beloved Christmas classics “Last Christmas,” “Blue Christmas,” and “Happy Christmas (War is Over).”
“I wanted to pay homage to the great Christmas songs, have fun with them but also take a stand against the ever rising tide of toxic bigotry in this increasingly brutal world while remembering there is a better part of ourselves. “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” in particular represents this whatever your beliefs may or may not be,” <PIG> explained in a press release regarding that cover’s album. “Last Christmas” while being a great song from the irreplaceable George Michael (who left us two years ago this Christmas) also represents the fleeting nature of ‘the season of goodwill’. “Blue Christmas” resonates with anyone who is separated from a loved one at this time of year, whatever the reason, war zone or weather (and who doesn’t want a go at being the King?) To that end these songs stand as an honour guard from the Lord of Lard.”
Raymond Watts, the musical mind behind <PIG>, has been an influential figure in the industrial music for over three decades, launching his career with the influential German industrial group KMFDM. His last release Risen, featured many prominent figures from the industrial movement including En Esch, Tim Sköld (Marilyn Manson), Z. Marr (Combichrist), Ben Christo (Sisters of Mercy) and Mark Thwaite.
“I mean…really, it’s words and music. Back when I started doing this it was all four track onto tape and then cassette. It just so happens that the medium is all digital. There is this sort of revival thing going on as well. This weird curse and blessing of technology really frightening, weird and new, and also quite liberating,” Watts explained in an interview with mxdwn. ” I’ve been able to have loads of people contribute to the record who aren’t here. We used to have to sit shoulder to shoulder in a studio. And now I’m working with people who are in Australia, Los Angeles and Singapore, they’re really all over the place.”
Although Watts is not religious himself, he does take inspiration from numerous influences. This includes religious iconography and sounds that have influenced his style.
“I’m not a believer, far from it. But I’ve always loved the language and the architecture and the spectacle; the bells and the smells and devotional music and the kind of weird S&M relationship that we have with the church,” Watt elaborated further in the interview.”We get down and prostrate and give thanks and love this sort of thing…It’s quite interesting. I find it really bizarre and it seems that people just can’t seem to live without it, wherever people have cooked up this weird thing, where there is a deity that we must have a strange relationship with. It’s also just beautiful, not in a mocking way, it seems to sum up the duality of man in just one weird relationship.”
Photo Credit: Gabriel Edvy
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