by Carrie Brownstein

It's trite and a little obvious to say that there's a feeling of sadness in the air. Between the recent and untimely deaths of musicians — particularly the sense that there's been a disproportionate amount of losses in the music community — and the news headlines, getting through any given day can feel like a burden. There's a saying that grief is an interlude between moments of joy, but sometimes it feels like the opposite; as if joy is actually the interval between two moments of suffering.

As I'm sure is the case with many of you, I turn to music as a way of getting through the tough times. The songs aren't merely there as a means to assuage; often, they're for the purpose of motivating, inspiring or igniting a sense of purpose. And, yes, sometimes we just want the songs to comfort us.

Please share a list of your own comfort songs in the comments section below.

My friend Lance Bangs directed the original video for "New Slang" by The Shins. With a little distance from the s—-storm of a movie that was Garden State, this song sounds pretty awesome again. Bangs' video, with references to some of the most iconic album covers in indie-rock, has always made me happy.

THE SHINS - NEW SLANG from Lance Bangs on Vimeo.

Arcade Fire, whose co-leader Regine Chassagne has roots in Haiti, is asking people to donate to Partners in Health in order to help with Haitian earthquake aid. Learn more about it on the band's Web site.

This might be from 1992, but it still sounds like the future.

Go-Betweens. Always.

Stiff Little Fingers. Or, as my high-school English teacher called them during a lecture on James Joyce, "Sticky Fingers."