4AD / Remote Control Records are pleased to announce the release of Day of the Dead a celebration of the Grateful Dead’s music created and curated by brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National.

For both Aaron and Bryce, the Grateful Dead were a gateway to playing music together; the first music the brothers investigated deeply. The two recall their first-ever jam session at 14 years old with The National’s future drummer Bryan Devendorf playing the Dead’s “Eyes of the World” for several hours in Bryan’s attic in suburban Ohio. The brothers were drawn not just to the Dead’s songwriting, but also to the detail, spontaneity, and depth in the instrumentation.

A life-long love affair with the Dead, shared with the Devendorfs, was born in those teenage years and crested when The National were invited to play a HeadCount.org fundraiser with Bob Weir in March 2012. The band assembled for this event learned over 25 Grateful Dead songs, and most of those players went on to form the “house band” heard on many of Day of the Dead’s tracks.

The compilation is a wide-ranging tribute to the songwriting and experimentalism of the Dead which took four years to record, and features over 60 artists from varied musical backgrounds, 59 tracks and is almost 6 hours long.

Produced by Aaron Dessner, and co-produced by Bryce Dessner and Josh Kaufman, many of the tracks feature an all-star house band made up of Aaron, Bryce, fellow National bandmates and brothers Scott and Bryan Devendorf, Josh Kaufman, and Conrad Doucette along with Sam Cohen and Walter Martin. The record shows the broad reaching impact and legacy of the Grateful Dead, both culturally and musically.

Day of the Dead will be released on 5CDs via 4AD / Remote Control Records. All profits will help fight for AIDS / HIV and related health issues around the world through the Red Hot Organisation. This is the 20th album of original music produced by Red Hot to further its mission and the follow up to 2009’s Dark Was The Night (4AD), a 32-track, multi-artist compilation also produced by Aaron and Bryce for Red Hot. Dark Was The Night has raised over $1.5 million to date for the organisations fighting AIDS.

Track listing:

THUNDER (VOL. 1)

1. The War On Drugs - Touch Of Grey

2. Phosphorescent, Jenny Lewis & Friends - Sugaree

3. Jim James & Friends - Candyman

4. Moses Sumney, Jenny Lewis & Friends - Cassidy

5. Bruce Hornsby And Deyarmond Edison - Black Muddy River

6. Ed Droste, Binki Shapiro & Friends - Loser

7. The National - Peggy-O

8. Kurt Vile And The Violators (Featuring J Mascis) - Box Of Rain

9. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & Friends - Rubin And Cherise

10. Perfume Genius, Sharon Van Etten & Friends - To Lay Me Down

11. Courtney Barnett - New Speedway Boogie

12. Mumford & Sons - Friend Of The Devil

13. Lucius - Uncle John’s Band

14. The Lone Bellow & Friends - Me And My Uncle

15. Lee Ranaldo, Lisa Hannigan & Friends - Mountains Of The Moon

16. Anohni And Ymusic - Black Peter

17. Bryce Dessner - Garcia Counterpoint

18. Daniel Rossen, Christopher Bear And The National (Featuring Josh Kaufman, Conrad Doucette, So Percussion And Brooklyn Youth Chorus) Terrapin Station (Suite)

19. Angel Olsen - Attics Of My Life

20. Wilco With Bob Weir - St. Stephen (Live)

LIGHTNING (VOL. 2)

1. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy - If I Had The World To Give

2. Phosphorescent & Friends - Standing On The Moon

3. Charles Bradley And Menahan Street Band - Cumberland Blues

4. The Tallest Man On Earth & Friends - Ship Of Fools

5. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & Friends - Bird Song

6. The National - Morning Dew

7. Marijuana Deathsquads - Truckin’

8. Cass Mccombs, Joe Russo & Friends - Dark Star

9. Nightfall Of Diamonds - Nightfall Of Diamonds

10. Tim Hecker - Transitive Refraction Axis For John Oswald

11. Lucinda Williams & Friends - Going Down The Road Feelin’ Bad

12. Tunde Adebimpe, Lee Ranaldo & Friends - Playing In The Band

13. Local Natives - Stella Blue

14. Tal National - Eyes Of The World

15. Bela Fleck - Help On The Way

16. Orchestra Baobab - Franklin’s Tower

17. Luluc With Xylouris White - Till The Morning Comes

18. The Walkmen - Ripple

19. Richard Reed Parry With Caroline Shaw And Little Scream (Featuring Garth Hudson) - Brokedown Palace

SUNSHINE (VOL. 3)

1. Real Estate - Here Comes Sunshine

2. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Shakedown Street

3. Hiss Golden Messenger - Brown-Eyed Women

4. This Is The Kit - Jack-A-Roe

5. Daniel Rossen And Christopher Bear - High Time

6. The Lone Bellow & Friends - Dire Wolf

7. Winston Marshall, Kodiak Blue And Shura - Althea

8. Orchestra Baobab - Clementine Jam

9. Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks - China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider

10. Bill Callahan - Easy Wind

11. Ira Kaplan & Friends - Wharf Rat

12. The Rileys - Estimated Prophet

13. Man Forever, So Percussion And Oneida - Drums -> Space

14. Fucked Up - Cream Puff War

15. The Flaming Lips - Dark Star

16. S T A R G A Z E - What’s Become Of The Baby

17. Vijay Iyer - King Solomon’s Marbles

18. Mina Tindle & Friends - Rosemary

19. Sam Amidon - And We Bid You Goodnight

20. The National With Bob Weir - I Know You Rider (Live)