The Soundtrack of My Life: 2002

When I look back at 2002 I choose to remember its bright points. Beautiful snows in winter, a lovely spring weekend in New York, a roommate who was also a much loved friend (and who also found need to practice a lot of baking and cooking for chef school – delight), and a whole year with another dear friend only a mile or two away who now, sadly, lives so much further. It was a good year. Certainly, I learned a lot? On to the music, anyway.

• Pete Yorn, Music for the Morning After

I don't get tired of it. I am sure there ought to be more graceful, erudite praise for it, but there it is.

• The Strokes, Is This It?

Oh gosh is it the G-version of the cover or the naughty one??? Yawn. Can't say I've loved anything they've done since, but the first one felt more vital. It was a fun album for that summer.

• Neko Case, Furnace Room Lullaby

OMG. Her voice. Saw her perform live once. Amazing.

• Whiskeytown, Pneumonia

Another one where I was late to the game. My first intersection with the redoubtable Ryan Adams; who could have guessed then he'd end up married to Mandy Moore? (And, frankly, not that they care but it pleases me. Take that, stuffy hipsters! Take that, bubblegummy teenyboppers!) I quite enjoy many of his solo albums; but this one I can listen to straight through, anytime.

• Coldplay

Having really only heard "Yellow: prior to 2002 (which I still persistently skip), the entirety of both Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head came into my awareness. Of the two, I think Rush is a better effort on the whole but each has its pluses. Now Coldplay has released a dreadful third album and a fourth I found to be a jump back onto the right track, but despite overplay and overhype and over ... well, let's not mention Gywnnie here.