one hundred songs project

Top 100

1. February

Mineral · February / M.D. (1998)

This would probably qualify has a deep cut as it was on neither album but it's the song from Mineral that resonated deeply with me for a long while. The lyrics where about the only thing on my facebook profile for a long time (while I had one of those I watched).

stand out lyrics:

And I think I finally know what they mean when they talk about joy, talk about joy, talk about joy

2. Driving Home

Hot Water Music · No Division (1999)

I'm not sure there's a song that inspires more hope than this. I've seen message boards full of people talking about how it saved their lives. I don't have a specific story like that but when things get hard this is definitely a song that immediately finds itself in my playlist.

stand out lyrics:

3. Marigold & Patchwork

The Appleseed Cast · The End of the Ring Wars (1998)

This is my favorite Appleseed Cast song. I saw them perform live at a festival when I was in High School in the late 90s in OKC. There set wasn't super well attended but I was hooked from the get go. They were playing to promote this album and I immediately had to get it. I've been listening ever since and anxiously await every new release.

stand out lyrics:

4. Saturn

Sleeping At Last · Atlas: I (2014)

One of the most beautiful songs ever made. In the right moment, it can produce a tear or two with me (which is no small feat). Like Driving Home, it's a song that contains a whole world of hope.

stand out lyrics:

With shortness of breath, I'll explain the infinite
How rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist

5. After the Movies

Cursive · Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes (1997)

A song that's squarely rooted in college angst of figuring out life, figuring out love and everything in between. Cursive is masterful at that, especially in the era of this album and Domestica.

stand out lyrics:

6. Gloria

Mineral · The Power of Failing (1996)

This song comes from Mineral's first album (and the first I heard). The way Chris Simpson writes just really resonates with me.

stand out lyrics:

'Cause Gloria is silent, Gloria is silent
Gloria is silent and glory is a silent thing

7. La Yugular

ROSALÍA · LUX (2025)

This is up there with Saturn as a song that can produce a tear or two in the write moment. Rosalía captures a really deep spirituality with this song, painting the divine as infinite yet closer than our own flesh. For me, it's just really moving.

stand out lyrics:

من أجلك أدمَّر السماء، من أجلك أهدم الجحيم، فلا وعود ولا وعيد

8. No Halo

Sorority Noise · You’re Not as _____ as You Think (2017)

Fun, catchy emo that makes me want to move.

stand out lyrics:

9. Zion

My Epic · Behold (2013)

Faith based post-hardcore. I stumbled across this at an important time and it provided a lot of rest for a weary soul. It felt something like a deep breath out. At the time, conflict was beginning to start in the organization I was working with at the time and amidst the mess of it, this song helped me find some semblance of peace and it'll forever be a memory because of that.

stand out lyrics:

10. Candy

Lovedrug · Pretend You’re Alive (2004)

I love this album from Lovedrug and this is my favorite song from it. Back in the day when cars had CD players and could only do one album at a time, I wore this one out (which included a lot of skipping to this song).

stand out lyrics:

11. Break · Son Lux · At War With Walls & Mazes (2008) · Experimental pop, Electronic · Bandcamp · Apple Music
12. A Song of Lamentation · Steve Schallert · Songs of Sorrow / Songs of Hope · Acoustic folk, Worship · Bandcamp · Apple Music
13. Umbrellas · Sleeping At Last · Keep No Score (2006) · Chamber pop, Indie folk · Bandcamp · Apple Music
14. The Breathing Method · The Get Up Kids · Eudora (2001) · Emo, Indie rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
15. Thieving · Lovedrug · Everything Starts Where It Ends (2007) · Indie rock, Alternative rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
16. Revenant · Loathe · A Stranger to You (2026) · Alternative metal, Experimental rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
17. Down in the Valley · The Head and the Heart · The Head and the Heart (2010) · Indie folk, Folk rock · Apple Music
18. Just Watch the Fireworks · Jimmy Eat World · Clarity (1999) · Emo, Alternative rock · Apple Music
19. Lament of Pretty Baby · Cursive · Domestica (2000) · Emo, Indie rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
20. Drive on to Me · Elliott · False Cathedrals (2000) · Emo, Indie rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
21. Calm Americans · Elliott · False Cathedrals (2000) · Emo, Indie rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
22. It's All Gonna Break · Broken Social Scene · Broken Social Scene (2005) · Indie rock, Art rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
23. The Happiest Place on Earth · Desaparecidos · Read Music/Speak Spanish (2002) · Indie rock, Post-hardcore · Bandcamp · Apple Music
24. Carousels · mewithoutYou · Catch for Us the Foxes (2004) · Post-hardcore, Indie rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
25. Fall Semester · The Get Up Kids · Four Minute Mile (1997) · Emo, Indie rock · Apple Music
26. Unfinished · Mineral · EndSerenading (1998) · Emo, Indie rock · Apple Music
27. Sanctified · Matt Maeson · Never Had to Leave (2022) · Alternative rock, Indie pop · Apple Music
28. Vermont · Cursive · Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes (1997) · Emo, Indie rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
29. Poseidon · The Appleseed Cast · Mare Vitalis (2000) · Midwest emo, Post-rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
30. Come Heroine · Touché Amoré · Lament (2020) · Post-hardcore, Melodic hardcore · Bandcamp · Apple Music
31. The Blankets Were the Stairs · Sunny Day Real Estate · Diary (1994) · Midwest emo, Indie rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
32. The End of an Era · Hopesfall · No Wings to Speak Of (2001) · Melodic hardcore, Post-hardcore · Bandcamp · Apple Music
33. Real Life Motion Picture · The Spirit That Guides Us · The Sand, the Barrier (2001) · Post-hardcore, Screamo · Apple Music
34. All Is Love · Dua Saleh · Of Earth & Wires (2026) · Alternative R&B, Art pop · Bandcamp · Apple Music
35. Whisper · Snag · All the Cages Holding Us Will One Day Turn to Dust (2026) · Screamo, Post-hardcore · Bandcamp · Apple Music
36. The Last Ring · The Appleseed Cast · The End of the Ring Wars (1998) · Midwest emo, Post-rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
37. Agnes · The Spirit That Guides Us · The Sand, the Barrier (2001) · Post-hardcore, Screamo · Apple Music
38. January 10th, 2014 · The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die · Harmlessness (2015) · Midwest emo, Indie rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
39. Wrath · gore. · Wrath (2025) · Alternative metal, Metalcore · Apple Music
40. Ichor · Together to the Stars · Iridescence (2026) · Blackgaze, Post-black metal · Bandcamp · Apple Music
41. 747 · Kent · 747 (1998) · Alternative rock, Indie rock · Apple Music
42. Let Down · Radiohead · OK Computer (1997) · Alternative rock, Art rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
43. Night Figures · Copeland · Blushing (2019) · Indie rock, Dream pop · Apple Music
44. The Woodpile · Frightened Rabbit · Pedestrian Verse (2013) · Indie rock, Indie folk · Apple Music
45. Another Round of Radical 'Ritas, Please? · RILEY! · To Live and Die in the American South (2026) · Emo, Pop punk · Bandcamp · Apple Music
46. Songs Will Write the Words · Twothirtyeight · Regulate the Chemicals (2000) · Emo, Indie rock · Apple Music
47. Chaotic Waves · The Appleseed Cast · The Fleeting Light of Impermanence (2019) · Midwest emo, Post-rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
48. Is There Room Enough For Me · Zane Vickery · Is There Room Enough For Me - Single · Indie folk, Singer-songwriter · Apple Music
49. Holocene · Bon Iver · Bon Iver, Bon Iver (2011) · Indie folk, Chamber folk · Bandcamp · Apple Music
50. The Casualty · Cursive · Domestica (2000) · Emo, Indie rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
51. If I Were Dead · Rose Blossom Punch · Ephemere (1997) · Alternative rock, Indie rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
52. Coup de grâce · Boneflower · Reveries (2025) · Screamo, Post-hardcore · Bandcamp · Apple Music
53. Bodhidharma · Agriculture · The Spiritual Sound (2025) · Black metal, Post-black metal · Bandcamp · Apple Music
54. Round Here · Counting Crows · August and Everything After (1993) · Alternative rock, Folk rock · Apple Music
55. Stand and Feel Your Worth · Thrice · Vheissu (2005) · Post-hardcore, Alternative rock · Apple Music
56. Desert · Strike Force
57. Change Is Everything · Son Lux · Bones (2015) · Experimental pop, Electronic · Bandcamp · Apple Music
58. Vore · Sleep Token · Take Me Back to Eden (2023) · Progressive metal, Alternative metal · Apple Music
59. Secret History · Foxing · Foxing (2024) · Indie rock, Emo · Bandcamp · Apple Music
60. Carving Oswego · Elliott · False Cathedrals (2000) · Emo, Indie rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
61. Everything's Okay · Reggie and the Full Effect · Greatest Hits '84-'87 (1999) · Emo pop, Pop punk · Apple Music
62. MYSTERY · Turnstile · Glow On (2021) · Hardcore punk, Alternative rock · Apple Music
63. American Teenager · Ethel Cain · Preacher’s Daughter (2022) · Indie rock, Dream pop · Apple Music
64. Kid · Great Grandpa · Patience, Moonbeam (2025) · Indie rock, Indie folk · Bandcamp · Apple Music
65. A Hate Inferior · Backengrillen · Backengrillen (2026) · Experimental rock, Noise rock · Bandcamp
66. Big Hips · MX LONELY · All Monsters (2026) · Noise rock, Grunge · Bandcamp · Apple Music
67. Perfection Through Silence · Finch · What It Is to Burn (2002) · Post-hardcore, Emo · Apple Music
68. Green Street · Fleshwater · 2000: In Search of the Endless Sky (2025) · Shoegaze, Alternative rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
69. Brother (feat. Propaganda) · The Brilliance · The Advent Collection (Remastered) (2021) · Chamber pop, Worship · Apple Music
70. Tell Me Ten Words · Idlewild · The Remote Part (2002) · Indie rock, Alternative rock · Apple Music
71. Portrait · Dear Ephesus · The Consolation of Pianissimo (1997) · Emo, Alternative rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
72. Light Up Ahead · Further Seems Forever · Hide Nothing (2004) · Emo, Alternative rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
73. Nervous System · JOSEPH · The Sun (2023) · Indie folk, Folk pop · Apple Music
74. Not Afraid · Indigo De Souza · Precipice (2025) · Indie rock, Alternative pop · Bandcamp · Apple Music
75. King and Lionheart · Of Monsters and Men · My Head Is an Animal (2011) · Indie folk, Indie pop · Apple Music
76. The Story · Brandi Carlile · The Story (2007) · Americana, Folk rock · Apple Music
77. Malachite · Together to the Stars · Iridescence (2026) · Blackgaze, Post-black metal · Bandcamp · Apple Music
78. you broke me first · Tate McRae · you broke me first (2020) · Pop, Alt-pop · Apple Music
79. 73 Summers · RILEY! · To Live and Die in the American South (2026) · Emo, Pop punk · Bandcamp · Apple Music
80. Fishhook · Protest the Hero · Within (2026) · Progressive metal, Mathcore · Bandcamp · Apple Music
81. The Flame in the Flood · Chuck Ragan · The Flame in the Flood (2016) · Folk punk, Americana · Bandcamp · Apple Music
82. Some Alone Time · No Spirit · Memories We Made (2020) · Lo-fi hip-hop, Chillhop · Bandcamp · Apple Music
83. By Your Side · Sade · Lovers Rock (2000) · Sophisti-pop, Soul · Apple Music
84. Porcelana · ROSALÍA · LUX (2025) · Art pop, Orchestral pop · Apple Music
85. Salvation Is Created · Bifrost Arts feat. Aimee Wilson · Salvation Is Created: A Christmas Record From Bifrost Arts (2009) · Chamber folk, Choral · Apple Music
86. Hell 99 · Foxing · Foxing (2024) · Indie rock, Emo · Bandcamp · Apple Music
87. Satellite · beabadoobee · Pylon (2026) · Indie rock, Indie pop · Bandcamp · Apple Music
88. Aerials · Lights & Motion · Reanimation (2013) · Instrumental post-rock, Ambient · Apple Music
89. Water · Leem of Earth · Chapter Two (2019) · Indie rock, Dream pop · Bandcamp · Apple Music
90. I Am the Way I Am · Arend Lee Jessurun · The Tower of Babel Falls (2025) · Indie folk, Singer-songwriter · Bandcamp · Apple Music
91. The Shepherd & the Chauffeur · A Northern Chorus · Bitter Hands Resign (2005) · Indie rock, Chamber pop
92. Speaking in Tongues · All Things Bright and Beautiful · Love & Affection (2003) · Indie pop, Chamber pop · Bandcamp
93. Penetration · Pedro the Lion · Control (2002) · Indie rock, Slowcore · Bandcamp · Apple Music
94. To Darkness / Kripa · Dharohar Project, Laura Marling & Mumford & Sons · Dharohar Project, Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons (2010) · Indie folk, Rajasthani folk · Apple Music
95. Whatever Light We Have · Zane Vickery · Whatever Light We Have - Single · Indie folk, Singer-songwriter · Apple Music
96. Spirits · The Strumbellas · Hope (2016) · Indie folk, Folk pop · Apple Music
97. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 · Coheed and Cambria · In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (2003) · Progressive rock, Post-hardcore · Apple Music
98. Ocean Deep · Dear Ephesus · The Absent Sounds of Me (1998) · Emo, Alternative rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
99. Starlight · Muse · Black Holes and Revelations (2006) · Alternative rock, Progressive rock · Apple Music
100. Nära · Blindside · A Thought Crushed My Mind (2000) · Post-hardcore, Alternative metal

Honorable mentions

• Suckerpunch · Five Iron Frenzy · Our Newest Album Ever! (1997) · Ska punk, Punk rock · Apple Music
• Strange Flower · Copeland · Blushing (2019) · Indie rock, Dream pop · Apple Music
• Fade into You · Mazzy Star · So Tonight That I Might See (1993) · Dream pop, Psychedelic folk · Apple Music
• Blankest Year · Nada Surf · The Weight Is a Gift (2005) · Indie rock, Power pop · Bandcamp · Apple Music
• Crooked · Umbrellas · Illuminare (2006) · Indie pop, Indie rock · Apple Music
• Citizen Erased · Muse · Origin of Symmetry (2001) · Alternative rock, Progressive rock · Apple Music
• 4 AM · Our Lady Peace · Clumsy (1997) · Alternative rock, Post-grunge · Apple Music
• I Go to the Barn Because I Like the · Band of Horses · Everything All the Time (2006) · Indie rock, Indie folk · Bandcamp · Apple Music
• Declaring Glory (The Earth Sings its Refrain) [feat. Audrey Assad & Page CXVI] · The Porter's Gate & Jon Guerra · Climate Vigil Songs (2022) · Indie folk, Worship · Bandcamp · Apple Music
• Cry Love · John Hiatt · Walk On (1995) · Americana, Roots rock · Apple Music
• Jesus · Page France · Hello, Dear Wind (2005) · Indie folk, Indie pop · Bandcamp · Apple Music
• Speak Soft · Poor Old Lu · Straight Six (1995) · Alternative rock, Indie rock · Bandcamp · Apple Music
• Rivers and Roads · The Head and the Heart · The Head and the Heart (2010) · Indie folk, Folk rock · Apple Music
• From This Time Forth · Brad Kilman · Mouths Like Trumpets (2009) · Worship, Folk rock · Apple Music
• New Favorite · Alison Krauss & Union Station · New Favorite (2001) · Bluegrass, Americana · Bandcamp · Apple Music
• Help Me to Feel Again · Judah & The Lion · Help Me to Feel Again (2021) · Folk pop, Alternative rock · Apple Music