Monday Morning Music: 8/2/10

Sometimes you hear a song that is so powerful, so full of beauty, emotion and talent, it's enough to bring you to tears. These are some of the songs that do that for me.

1.) "An Ever-Growing Wonder" by We Came As Romans. This is just plain amazing. It was the first time I realized I love We Came As Romans. Everything about it works.

2.) "Adam's Song" by blink-182. Sometimes blink turns from their feel-good fun songs to serious songs full of feeling. This is just in case you've ever forgotten the painful parts of being a teenager.

3.) "That's Classy" by Breathe Carolina. There's something about this that just resonates with me. It's difficult to explain.

4.) "Sand in Your Shoes (Acoustic)" by This Providence. Everything This Providence does is done with massive amounts of effort, thought and talent. This song is absolutely breath-taking, especially the acoustic version.

5.) "The Ponytail Parades (Acoustic)" by Emery. Emery can capture feelings that no one else can seem to give words to. This song is no exception. The acoustic version is best, but I've always felt it was a powerful sound.

6.) "Discovering the Waterfront" by Silverstein. Sadder, slower, but telling the story of someone coming to certain realizations, this has always been one of my favorites. It really affects people who listen closely.

7.) "If You Wanna Stay" by Bidwell. A bit happier, it's still a sweet song with wonderful messages and a lovely sound. I stumbled across this song ages ago, then fell in love all over again when I saw these guys play it live acoustic in a tent at Warped last year.

8.) "The Story Left Untold" by Every Avenue. You can tell, simply by listening to Every Avenue's new album, that they've all been determined to step it up a notch. Their older music is still phenomenal, but this story is beautiful, sad and flawless.

9.) "Skyline Drive" by Closer 2 Closure. From back in the day, when Kellin Quinn was just a sweet Oregon boy making music with a friend. I used to live by a road called Skyline, and my best friend still lives by it. The song, gorgeous in itself, also carries memories for me.

10.) "Ceilings" by Alive in Wild Paint. Possibly my favorite in this entire list. I don't remember how I came across Alive in Wild Paint, but they are probably the most underrated band I know of. Passion has never transferred so well into music. It's simply amazing.