There has been a lot of space dedicated to songs that made you feel good this year, but before we get to the final days of holiday joy we wanted to take a moment and reflect on the sad tracks that chipped the ice from our cold hearts throughout 2013.

Whether you’re fifteen or forty-five, a good ballad has the power to punch you in the gut with the force of a dozen Miley Cyrus ridden wrecking balls. They tap into the side of our emotions most people spend the day trying to avoid and force you to stare whatever difficult situation you’re dealing with head on. They accompany you when you’re sad, help break down walls when dealing with stress, and give the rainiest of days the most fitting of soundtracks. We had a lot of great ballads in 2013, and below we’ve collected the favorites of the UTG staff for one final ‘feels’ session. You can find our picks and leave comments including your own song selections, below.

We are going to be rolling out a lot of lists and other year end related features in the weeks ahead. After you enjoy this article, make sure you check out our individual staff best-of lists, as well as the 5 pop songs you absolutely must hear before the end of the year. Follow us on Twitter to ensure you never miss another update.

1. The Story So Far – “Clairvoyant”

2. Forever Came Calling – “Endangered Innocent”

3. Pianos Become The Teeth – “Hiding”

4. The 1975 – “Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You”

5. Captain, We’re Sinking – “A Bitter Divorce”

6. Active Child Featuring Ellie Goulding – “Silhouette”

7. Jaymes Young – “Fragments”

8. DayShell – “A Waste Of Space”

9. The Wonder Years – “The Devil In My Bloodstream”

10. Rhye – “Open”

11. Queens Of The Stone Age – “I Appear Missing”

12. The National – “I Should Live In Salt”

13. The Bronx – “Life Less Ordinary”

14. Jon Bellion – “New York Soul”

15. Bastille – “Overjoyed”

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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