April 7th marks the release of SCORE! 20 Years Of Merge Records: The Covers! This compilation, which is part of the SCORE! Box Set, is available for individual purchase for those who did not purchase the box set. It features 20 different bands covering their favorite Merge songs. Here are a few of my favorites from the album:

Bright Eyes, “Papa Was A Rodeo” (The Magnetic Fields) - I’ve never considered myself a huge Bright Eyes fan, although I do appreciate some of Conor Oberst’s work. With that said, I was really impressed by this playful version of “Papa Was A Rodeo” from 69 Love Songs.

The Mountain Goats, “Drug Life” (East River Pipe) - I’m not too familiar with East River Pipe, but my friend Dane recently played me a copy of Shining Hours In A Can. I am a big fan of The Mountain Goats and am glad that John Darnielle took the lo-fi approach on this desperate take on “Drug Life” from 2006’s What Are You On?

St. Vincent & The National, “Sleep All Summer” (Crooked Fingers) - Matt Berninger of The National duets with Annie Clark of St. Vincent on this fantastic cover of a Crooked Fingers song that appeared on 2005’s Dignity And Shame. It’s better than the original.

In honor of Abraham Lincoln’s recent 200th birthday, Philadelphia’s Rosenbach Museum & Library requested the assistance of several artists to help celebrate Lincoln with a modern twist. The project is entitled 21st Century Abe and one of the talented participants is Bryce Dessner of The National. Dessner contributed six compositions that were inspired by Lincoln and the music of his time. The compositions also feature Bryce’s brother Aaron on guitar. The Rosenbach Museum welcomes you to listen to the songs here and is also accepting remixes of the tracks. Bryce and Aaron will be performing the pieces at Rosenbach on April 2nd along with a brass section. Tickets are still available, but are few and far between.

Image courtesy of The Rosenbach Museum.