We're making our Best of 2009 lists - and checking them twice - for City Weekly's Dec. 31 edition. In preview, from now until next Thursday, I'll be sharing my favorite single tracks of the year. I'd love to hear what rocked your world in the dwindling days of the oughts.

I'm probably risking serious street cred by admitting that until recently I didn't completely love Sonic Youth.--- Oh sure, I always respected the band and bought the "hit" singles. But only in the past few years have I come to understand and therefore embrace noise - not loud music (which I've always championed), noise. I'm still a sucker for a catchy pop song, though, and The Eternal combines the best of both worlds. It might not be their most adventurous album to date, but it resonates with me. It helped seeing them perform many of the songs live for the first time this summer, too.

What We Know - Sonic Youth