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Best-of lists are usually Top 5s or Top 10s, but in true muso style, the Jakarta Globe decided an encore was called for and we made the best local albums a Top 6 list.

Instead of searching through the usual racks of pop and commercial rock CDs, we dug a little deeper and found that the best sounds of 2009 mostly came from lesser-known artists.

Sure, unearthing these buried treasures adds to their appeal — a reminder of the days before the Internet when all you knew about your favorite band was what you read on album sleeves and in magazines.

But this is hardly the only attraction of the albums on this list. These six outfits have spent 2009 pushing artistic boundaries, creating works that inspire ­— or at least provide a soundtrack for some good old air guitar. 1. Shorthand Phonetics

‘Score No. 1 (Dream: Chase) in A major, Op. 17 for Three Electric Guitars, One Bass Guitar and One Drum Kit’ Yesnowave/Self-Released

The 17th self-released album from Ababil Ashari’s one-man band, Shorthand Phonetics, is an inspirational work. Recorded at home in a modest studio, “Score No. 1” is an instrumental album, which is an out-of-character venture for the singer-songwriter. The album was originally recorded for the short independent film “Dream: Chase.”

Divided into three acts — with their own subsections and impossibly long song titles — the album begins with a looping arpeggio guitar line before exploding into a soaring section of heavy dynamics and distortion, only to swiftly return to its former softer feel for Act II.

Act III then opens the gateway to chaos, letting loose Ababil’s marvelously chaotic and colorful guitar noodlings.

Multitracked guitar parts clash discordantly before mutating into a more traditional rock feel, evocative of guitarist Randy Rhoads’ exploits with Ozzy Osbourne.

At times the guitars sound out of tune, but Ababil manages to embrace this as an edgy characteristic of the album. “Score No. 1” is a good album to showcase the talents of this musician, whose home-recorded sound makes for a fun and mischievous listen.

2. Space System

‘Nature’ Space Rec

The people who gather at the warehouse-type music venue Rossi Fatmawati in South Jakarta make up what is perhaps the most liberal Indonesian arts community of late. The mysterious collective known as Space System have found a niche fanbase in this community, and they try their best to keep out of the public eye. Perhaps this has helped the group focus on their work; they released one of the most challenging, and perhaps the most valuable, albums of the year.

Unlike most Indonesian independent releases, “Nature” is about experimentation more than attitude. Sounds of electronic glitches and organic samples taken from the outdoors abound, summoning an intimate rave feel that glides but never trips, leaving a lasting impression on the mind’s ear.

The instrumental record at fist seems like a collection of homogenous tracks, but upon closer listen, there is plenty to tune into. The track “Raja Rawa” (“Swamp King”), for example, is based on a cyclical rhythm pattern that descends into a glorious cacophony of primitive percussion, conjuring the image of kitchenware being thrown down a flight of stairs. Another track, “Nocturnal Creatures,” plays with shades of lounge jazz on top of an ascending synthesized line. Meanwhile, tracks like “Petik” (“Pluck”) and “Sand Woman” are delightfully hypnotic.

This album’s deep ambience packs more punch with its layers of growling guitars than most metal records ever will.

3. Curah Melodia Mandiri

‘Pantai’ EP (‘Beach’) Space Rec

It comes as no surprise that two of the top spots for the year go to artists on music label Space Rec. Space Rec is behind many of the gigs put on at Rossi Fatmawati and is perhaps the biggest supporter of local experimental groups.

Curah Melodia Mandiri, otherwise known as CMM, takes a left-field approach to 1980s gaming-console-influenced music, known as chiptune, reminiscent of the German experimental kraut rock, based on the idea that music should “play itself.” Like label-mate Space System, CMM creates a fresh, esoteric sound, but it manages to avoid being tagged as pretentious.

None of the tracks on CMM’s debut scream “listen to me,” and none of the hooks really stand out, yet there’s something about the album that invites you to sit and listen to it like it were an old record spinning on a gramophone. If you do take the time to do that, you’ll find a trippy album that goes off on tangents that pique your musical curiosity.

If the album had to be pigeon-holed, perhaps chiptune fused with free jazz would suffice, but while this EP is far too short to truly satisfy, it shows great promise for things to come.

4. Monkey to Millionaire

‘Lantai Merah’ Sinjitos Records

With its debut album “Lantai Merah” (“Red Floor”), the Jakarta-based trio Monkey to Millionaire reproduces the indie-rock sound that appeals to the masses and has brought recognition to many of Monkey’s peers, like Efek Rumah Kaca and Pee Wee Gaskins.

Thankfully, the album never dissolves into vapid commercial pop. Instead, it successfully walks the line between bouncy power-pop and melodic punk rock.

Is this achieved by clouding every hook with walls of feedback and distortion? Or is it the uninhibited charm of beginner’s luck?

Either way, with songs like the Weezer-turned-Nirvana “Replika” and “Satu Nama” (“One Name”), and the post-punk “Merah” (“Red”), Monkey to Millionaire may eventually live up to its name, going from scummy indie rockers to fully fledged pop stars. Having heard what they can do as the former on “Lantai Merah,” however, fans can only hope that they spend a little more time in the world of indie rock.

5. Slank

‘Anthem for the Broken Hearted’ Slank Records

Although we’re looking beyond the big bands, we couldn’t ignore Indonesia’s biggest band, the legendary Slank, not because of their status, but because they released an incredible album this year. Produced in the United States by guitar player Blues Saraceno, this 31-minute album was recorded and mixed in only 21 days. The album features English-language versions of Slank’s biggest local hits, which may not make for a bold artistic statement, but it certainly makes a statement sonically, borrowing sounds from US radio rockers Daughtry and Canadian pseudo-grunge rockers Nickleback.

Slank’s production quality has never sounded so crisp, with the layering of guitars maximizing the albums anthem choruses.

The five-piece band’s fusion of blues, rock and pop has always had a universal quality, appealing to fans of American radio rock, and with “Anthem for the Broken Hearted,” Slank may have just found the door to international recognition.

6. Gribs

‘Gondrong Kribo Bersaudara’ (‘Long-Shaggy-Haired Brothers’) Suara Gunung Kelud Records

Just when you thought you could safely say goodbye to the Poison-Bon Jovi-Van Halen look, ’80s hair-metal, or poodle metal, bands are back on the scene.

You can still see kids head-banging to poodle metal, heralding the comeback as a “return to real rock.” But this schtick is as cringe-worthy now as it was the first time around.

So what are Gribs, or their album “Long-Shaggy-Haired Brothers,” doing on this list? Like their British counterparts The Darkness, they manage to balance traditional heavy rock with a little irony.

The band indulges in nostalgic blues-scale solos and arena rock as much as they revel in makeup and spandex pants, and it doesn’t hurt that the songs rock hard as well — taking their cues from heyday groups such as Winger and Ratt, and local grinders Roxx and Godbless.

Songs like “Lawan!” (“Fight!”), “Pejuang” (“Fighter”) and “Gadis Serigala” (“Wolf Lady”) will simply crush you with their pulsating percussion and grinding power chords.

If it were not for their total conviction, the theatrical vocal shrieks might appear ludicrous, but Gribs makes it works through the luck of the damned — stuck in the ’80s frame of mind.

It’s a joke that won’t work twice, though, so Gribs better come up with something quick, or they may end up being nothing more than a novelty.