Topping the local mix

The most telling thing about this city's thriving music scene - or, perhaps more accurately, scenes - is not necessarily everything you get to see and hear in a given year. It's also what slips under the radar or falls between the proverbial cracks. That's just what happens when you've got something this vibrant and vital. A roundup of the year's most notable local albums and artists (and we use the term "local" loosely) is also a reminder of how perennially eclectic and inspired the Boston area's rock and pop landscape is. Here's some of the best of what we heard in 2008 (in alphabetical order), and what keeps us looking forward to the year ahead.

"Old Stag" The old stag did it again in '08, but then, when doesn't he? For a lesser mortal, following '06's "Me & Van Gogh," might have been a near-impossible task. But Berlin's combination of frank, funny, and poignant storytelling and unvarnished soul-searching always sounds both refreshingly unfiltered and meticulously crafted. Plus, "John Lennon's Nose" is the song title of the year.

"Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology" Pulling together nearly 50 tracks, this long-overdue three-CD retrospective makes a convincing case for these guys as one of the most ferociously infectious pop acts to ever come out of Boston.

"With Infinite Arms to Cradle the Flames" Few bands would list the obscure underground space-noise merchants Simply Saucer as an influence, but this group's amorphous membership comprises some of Boston's best underground space rockers, such as Lockgroove and Charlene. Here, Broken River Prophet makes music - cresting, crashing oceans of sensuous shoegaze sprawl - as good as any of its predecessors' tunes.

"Loose in the Joints" Old-school shot-and-a-beer blasters teeming with equal parts raunch, riffs, and romance - raggedly right tunes about looking for love in all the wrong places, and living another day to do it again. I know it's only rock 'n' roll. But I like it, like it, yes I do.

"The Troubles" Sometimes the buzz pays off. A rash of attention greeted Faces on Film before singer-guitarist Mike Fiore and drummer Dave Hinckley even recorded an album. But "The Troubles" lives up to its makers' promise: affectingly homespun, with songs that make you feel as if you're in ancient rooms full of echoes with white Christmas lights hung from the ceilings.

"Inverted Valentine" This year's Rumble winners and the Boston Music Awards' local act of the year are on a roll, and their sophomore album shows why. Singer-guitarist Ward Hayden is a honky-tonk heartbreaker, but it's the band's spirited verve and fiery musicianship that seal the deal.

"How to Walk Away" Hatfield continues the cool trick she began a few years back: After more than two decades of making music, she keeps hitting what sounds like a newfound stride. Walking away from one thing means you're walking toward another. Her prime, perhaps?

"Oh My God, Charlie Darwin" Take a collection of gorgeous hymn-like folk songs that thematically explore the seemingly mutually exclusive notions of community and competition (that's the Darwin part), add instrumental textures as lovely as they are saturnine, and you've got one of the best local (OK, semi-local; they're from Rhode Island) debuts in memory.

"Township" The band's Thin Lizzy-meets-KISS logo font is a dead giveaway for what's in store: Seventies-style muscle-car classic rock powered by sinewy guitar riffs, swamp-metal boogie, and soaring vocals that would make Deep Purple or Dio proud. Sinister ministers indeed.

"Central Chambers" The title was initially a reference to the name of the band's Northampton rehearsal space, but Winterpills' third album took on an unintentionally ominous meaning when singer-songwriter Philip Price discovered he was afflicted with a dangerous heart condition. Thankfully, this collection of beautiful ballads and wistful pop ruminations is a lot less dire than a bad ticker - and a lot more enjoyable.