2006 Year End Survey | Casey Rea

This the last survey response. The end. And what better way to wrap it up than by turning to the overseer of the Burlington music scene, Casey Rea. Besides being the music editor of Seven Days, a writer for Dusted and a fellow blogger, Rea released a cool atmospheric post-folk EP (Soft Rock) this year under the name The Contrarian. Think of an ethereal electronic bent on Elliot Smith and Sun Kil Moon.

Rea put an expanded list of his favorite albums of the year up on solidstate last month but he was also kind enough to drop some faves on us, as well.

1) What was your favorite song of 2006?

Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins — "Rise Up With Fists!!!!"

Such biting lyrics, such gorgeous vocals. Sexy and distrubing at the same time. Gentlemen, you do not want Ms. Lewis to call you out.

2) What was your favorite album of 2006?

Gorgoroth — Ad Majorem Sathanas Glorium.

I forgot to even put this in my year-enders on my own blog! But damn, I listened to it a lot this year. I don't always enjoy black metal; it often sounds like it was recorded in a grim and frostbitten broom closet. But this album is perfect. Totally evil and necro, but with a musicality rarely heard in the genre. And Gorgoroth are the real deal: the singer drank a dude's blood after almost beating him to death. Not that I condone that kind of behavior.

3) What was your favorite concert of 2006?

Tough one. I'm not easy to impress, concert-wise. Unless the show is in my living room, with free intoxicants and no hippies. Brian Wilson is always awesome; I saw him for the third time this year. Al Jardine was there!

The Books at Higher Ground were rather impressive. It was amazing how they replicated the sound of their records with acoustic guitar, cello, vocals and sparse beats. The wordsmith in me also enjoyed their free-associative projections.

4) What was your favorite thing about 2006?

I've enjoyed interacting with local music and culture geeks on the interweb. It allows me to fulfill my socialization needs without all the awkwardness of "meatspace." I hope to have 99 percent of my interactions take place digitally in the New Year.

5) What are your best wishes for 2007?

You mean besides a transformative shift in human consciousness that makes believing in religious fairytales obsolete? Umm, more time to work on music. And travel.

Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins | Rise Up with Fists!! | Buy
The Contrarian | Soft Rock Two | Buy