I was just thinking how we all criticise the music tastes of 14 and 15 year olds who post here who like Blink 182 and Sum 41 and stuff. Of course there's some people that age who have quite scarily good tastes too - how many of us were into My Bloody Valentine at 15?! But anyway, I was wondering how much better we all were at that stage.

I was 15 between September 2001 and September 2002. I bought a few albums in that time that I still listen to now - I just got into Doves and Idlewild that year with The Last Broadcast and The Remote Part, and also Turin Brakes' Optimist LP and the Chili Peppers' By The Way. The two albums which soundtracked the summer of 02 for me were Jimmy Eat World's self-titled one (and while it's not very cool to admit it, I still love them), and New Adventures In Hi-Fi by REM, which was the album that made me a fan, and indirectly it was the album that allowed me to be exposed to most of what I listen to now (long story). The Strokes' first record was one I enjoyed a lot at the time too, though I don't listen to it any more. So I guess it was the more mainstream-indie end of my current taste that I was getting into at that point.

I've got some guiltier purchases from then - I remember a Blink 182 album and a Starsailor album for starters! I was also into Green Day and Muse, both of whom I went off afterwards (although American Idiot reignited my interest in the former band).

So overall I don't think I was doing too badly at that stage, but I hadn't heard of most of my current favourite bands yet.