Get Back Guinozzi!

When those best-of 2009 lists start rolling in, chances are Get Back Guinozzi!'s Carpet Madness won't be landing many high-profile spots. And it's a shame, as the group's debut full-length stands as one of the year's most fun-packed slabs of outsider pop. Led by French duo Eglantine Gouzy and Frederic Lanini, Get Back Guinozzi! tap post-punk originators like Young Marble Giants and the Raincoats, capturing that stark minimalism and injecting odd electronics, drum machine click clacks and a carefree euphoria that never gets overly cute or twee. It all comes across best in the group's re-imagining of Junior Murvin's reggae classic "Police and Thieves," which is made over into a ramshackle pop song chock full of glee, innocence and European charm. In fact, it's a cover that gives the Clash's 1977 version a run for its money. A record of many highs and few lows, Carpet Madness just might be one of the best albums you didn't hear all year.