1Boom For Real by Mosley Wotta

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Search www.bendbulletin.com to read previous gushing about this five-track EP of endlessly entertaining hip-hop with a melodic temperament. “Boom For Real,” produced by local DJ Mud, is unstoppable. If these guys put out a full-length record in 2009, look out world. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

2Jennifer Gentle Siamese Cat by A.M. Interstate

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Sprawling and spaced out, the third album from Redmond-based brothers Seth and Cy Erickson is a pinch of pop and a touch of twang, all shrouded in a psychedelic haze. One listen and you’ll be ready to drop everything and join the love revolution. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

3Pacific (Featuring Cool Nutz) (Clean) by Amsterdam

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One of Bend’s hardest-edged MCs tones down the tough talk just a bit, picks a better set of beats than he used on his first solo album, and makes a quantum leap on “The Good Hurt.” Listen closely to the lyrics and you’ll hear some of Amsterdam’s deep thoughts nestled among the boasts. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

4Music by Reed Thomas Lawrence

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If we were declaring a Next Big Thing from Central Oregon, Lawrence would be a fine choice. The guy has the goods to make it elsewhere. In 2008, he ditched the jazz chords that tempted him in the past and, with the help of new Bendite Franchot Tone, put his talents toward writing laid-back, reggae-influenced pop music that’s smart, but not too clever for its own good. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

5Beggars Will Ride by Larry and His Flask

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Five years of fusing twang-punk with reckless abandon culminates on this album of wall-to-wall fun. Yes, lead growler Jamin Marshall’s voice is gritty (to say the least), but his passion is palpable. And if you listen intently, you’ll hear just how skilled his three band mates are. The Flask aren’t likely to score a radio hit any time soon, but “Never Long Gone!” is all that is great about rock ’n’ roll. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

6Good Luck by Ventis

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Big-time rock ’n’ roll ­— think the Stones, the Eagles, Springsteen, etc. — doesn’t discriminate based on age, but sometimes, it seems local music is a young man’s game. Young musicians have their dreams, older ones have jobs. But in Bend, the Boomers are holding their own. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

7Lights Out by Cloaked Characters

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Maybe I’m a homer, I don’t know, but Bend’s hip-hop scene threw it down this year. The beauty of our medium-sized (and growing) scene is that each MC, DJ and crew holds down its own territory. That makes for friendly personal relationships (as far as I know), but more importantly, it allows a diverse set of voices to represent Central Oregon in this increasingly urban world. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

8Savage (Featuring Mez) by Mindscape

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Person People MC Mike Fish’s solo album can be summed up in one word: relentless. The beats here are urgent and memorable (check “My Candor”), Fish’s rhymes are complex, and his flow is laser-guided and lightning fast. Definitely a point of view worth hearing. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

9How She Makes It Home by Willie Carmichael

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With a sturdy baritone and a sly wit, one of Central Oregon’s finest songwriters spins tale after tale about the human condition. Carmichael’s folksy songs are intimate and engaging, funny and sad. But his greatest strength is an attention to detail in his character sketches that’ll make you feel like you’ve known these people forever. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

10Let's Dance by Bo Reynolds

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Big-time rock ’n’ roll ­— think the Stones, the Eagles, Springsteen, etc. — doesn’t discriminate based on age, but sometimes, it seems local music is a young man’s game. Young musicians have their dreams, older ones have jobs. But in Bend, the Boomers are holding their own. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

11Ellie Is A Heartbreaker by Ryan Mellon

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How many local recordings have been derailed by lack of funds? Lots. Lots and lots. Studio time can be pricey! Here’s the thing to remember: A solid four-, five- or six-track EP is always better than a half-good 12-track album, especially your first time out. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

12Sex Is A Secret by The Dirty Words

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In a world crowded with fey pop groups and aggro metal bands, The Dirty Words find a middle ground where the guitars crunch and ring like a more-honest/less-ironic Modest Mouse, and frontman David Clemmer sings with his heart splashed across both sleeves. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

13Color by At The Harvest

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How many local recordings have been derailed by lack of funds? Lots. Lots and lots. Studio time can be pricey! Here’s the thing to remember: A solid four-, five- or six-track EP is always better than a half-good 12-track album, especially your first time out. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

14Scordatura by Tentareign

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Muscular and brooding, the record might be a little more hard rock than true metal, but one thing is for sure: It’s jammed full of zigs and zags — funk bass lines, wicked rhythmic shifts — that let you know Tentareign’s musical viewpoint is so progressive, it might just be from the future. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

15Upon The Battlefield by Vengeance Creek

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The Creek loves old-school, '70s and '80s metal, and you can hear it in the squealing guitar solos, Ozzy-ish vocals and atavistic feel of their 2008 album, “Vengeance Creek.” ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

16Setting Sun by Goodbye Dyna

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A home-recording project of longtime local musicians Andy Jacobs and Jason Schmidt, Goodbye Dyna's "XXVII" is pure, catchy guitar rock, incorporating the alt/grunge sound of the 1990s and today's above-ground indie rock.

17Improv 05 by Mr. Potato

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This Redmond-based trio split up recently, and there was much gnashing of teeth among Central Oregon’s instrumental art-metal fans. (Yes, there are some.) Because for all the local acts making catchy songs that would appeal to many people, there aren’t enough making challenging, experimental music. The thunderous Mr. Potato did, and they’ll be missed. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

18Bumpin' by Slick Side Down

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Big-time rock ’n’ roll ­— think the Stones, the Eagles, Springsteen, etc. — doesn’t discriminate based on age, but sometimes, it seems local music is a young man’s game. Young musicians have their dreams, older ones have jobs. But in Bend, the Boomers are holding their own. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

1About To Walk by Throw Me The Statue

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Pity the bedroom auteur, toiling in obscurity in his messy “recording studio” (picture dirty laundry piled by the microphone) with no one to hear his songs. Indie-rock has given rise to more than one of these one-man wonders, and this year’s model — Seattle’s Scott Reitherman — does buzzy, lo-fi pop-rock as well as any of them on “Moonbeams.” ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

2Furr by Blitzen Trapper

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This Portland-based six-piece ditches the genre-hopping fuzz-pop of its debut and puts out an album of pastoral tunes that sound like they were dubbed off an old hippie’s radio. The title track is an instant classic. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

3White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes

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If the stringy hair, unkempt beards, tattered flannel shirts and suddenly new-folk-friendly Subpop imprint didn’t give away Fleet Foxes’ modus operandi, certainly the first 20 seconds of their self-titled debut does: five-part harmony, rustic and gnarled, like something straight off a porch in dear old Appalachia. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

4Gillian Was A Horse (Radio Edit) by Damien Jurado

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5Think I Wanna Die by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

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This short-but-sweet slice of pure indie-pop is the most deceptively wonderful record of 2008. Here’s why: ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

6Shoulda Known (Clean) by Atmosphere

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7Figured Me Out (LA Garage Mix) by Jamie Lidell

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Lidell sets aside the electronic touches of his previous work and, on “Jim,” focuses on making classic, soulful pop music that sounds decades old and belies the generally downcast lyrics. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

8Sätt Att Se by Dungen

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Long known as a one-man band (at least in the studio), “4” finds Dungen principal Gustav Ejstes reaching out to other musicians to help build his hazy indie rock. And whether its those other guys’ influence, or Ejstes’ own desire to avoid the psych-rock pigeonhole, this album is an unveiling, of sorts, of its mastermind’s apparently endless interest in all types of music. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

9Keep Your Eyes Ahead by The Helio Sequence

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No band does more with fewer members than this Portland-based duo. On their fourth album, their masterful mixture of indie-rock and electronica reaches new heights. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

10Give The Drummer Sum (Clean) by Black Milk

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11Jingling (Clean) by The Cool Kids

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12Teen Is Still Shaking by TK Webb & The Visions

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Drawing from his background in punk and blues, TK Webb’s new band creates a raunchy clatter that reflects the grittier side of their hometown, New York City. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

13Changing by The Moondoggies

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14Language City by Wolf Parade

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15Bright Side by The Muslims

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16Doves by The Black Angels

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This Texas band’s sophomore album is 60 solid minutes of sinister, slow-burning psychedelia spiked with heavy doses of drone and doom. Not recommended for the chronically paranoid. ... READ RELATED ARTICLE

17Teen Creeps by No Age

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18Water Here by Bodies Of Water

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