At 59 tracks and nearly six hours, the voluminous Day of the Dead is a difficult project to wrap a single critical opinion around. But compilers Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National recognized that a true survey of the Dead needed to cover several dimensions, from their still-under-recognized songwriting prowess and deep roots-folk credentials to their improvisational journeys and experimental oddities. Better then to go track by track, examining how faces familiar and less so bring the catalog into the 2010s, with results as varied as, well, a typical Dead show.

Here’s a look at Volume One, with the two others to follow over the next few days…

01. Touch of Grey – The War on Drugs
Adam Granduciel’s soft spot for ‘80s FM rock makes the Dead’s biggest hit a snug fit, and he somehow creates a version that seems even more of its glossy decade than the original. Your appreciation will likely hinge on how you respond to Jerry’s iconic solo being replaced by harmonica.

02. Sugaree – Phosphorescent, Jenny Lewis & Friends
Played at a peppy speed that would have winded the Dead at most points in their history, this version gains some brightness at the expense of the underlying melancholy. Phosphorescent’s Matthew Houck is an amicable lead and house-band organist Walter Martin shines, but Jenny Lewis is wasted in the Donna role.

03. Candyman – Jim James & Friends
Wisely, very few Day of the Dead participants make the futile attempt to recreate Jerry’s singular guitar sound, but there are a handful of singers capable of channeling his equally extraordinary voice. My Morning Jacket’s Jim James is one of these vocal heirs, bringing an appropriate mix of joy and sorrow to this straightforward cover.

04. Cassidy – Moses Sumney, Jenny Lewis & Friends
One of the most indie-rock-adaptable Dead tunes was central to this compilation’s origin story, standing as the highlight of The National’s set with Bob Weir at his TRI Studios in 2012. (YouTube it!) Unfortunately, this version pales in comparison, rushing the pace, underutilizing Lewis for a second time, and making no attempt at the glorious trumpetled jam of the earlier take.

05. Black Muddy River –Bruce Hornsby & DeYarmond Edison
The last song Jerry sang gets an appropriately funereal arrangement from Dead alumnus Bruce Hornsby and DeYarmond Edison, the reunited childhood band of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. The merger produces the smooth yet rustic sound you’d expect, with a mid-song ambient swerve that freshens up a familiar cover for Hornsby.

06. Loser – Ed Droste, Binki Shapiro & Friends
Much of Day of the Dead draws its consistency from the house band, made up of Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Bryan and Scott Devendorf of The National, Josh Kaufman and Sam Cohen of The Yellowbirds, Walter Martin from The Walkmen and Takka Takka’s Conrad Doucette. “Loser” is emblematic of their chosen sound: tight rhythmically, respectful but confident guitars (the central riff is suitably gnarly), an uncomplicated rhythm section and keyboards providing atmospheric density.

07. Peggy-O – The National
That house band’s sound is not the same thing as a full-on Nationalization, which is demonstrated on this first set folk favorite. Singer Matt Berninger’s restrained baritone and a hushed but driving backdrop transforms the tune into a somber hymn—appropriate given the use of a converted church for much of the compilation’s recording.

08. Box of Rain – Kurt Vile & The Violators (featuring J Mascis)
Kurt Vile has regularly denied any Dead influence on his own music, but “Box of Rain” turns out to be the most faithful cover on the entire collection. With two generations of indie-rock guitar heroes, it mainly serves as a sort of six-string karaoke, giving both Vile and Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis a chance to solo over Phil’s country rock.

09. Rubin and Cherise – Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & Friends
A hidden gem of the Dead repertoire gets polished into one of the compilation’s standouts, with a drippy lead guitar, a deceptively breezy rhythm and a horn section that makes its entrance at just the right time. It’s the first of two coal-minedeep cuts rescued by Will Oldham, an unlikely head despite the heady beard.

10. To Lay Me Down – Perfume Genius, Sharon Van Etten & Friends
Mike Hadreas of Perfume Genius is a master of the haunted ballad and, here, his wounded tenor turns Hunter/Garcia’s romantic prayer into a deathbed eulogy, slithering over an eerie, drumless backdrop of feedback, reverbed lap steel and the occasional synth burble.

11. New Speedway Boogie – Courtney Barnett
For “Speedway,” the bleaker and swampier the better, and Courtney Barnett’s Aussie drawl is well suited for the task. With a dark choogle and a menacing electric piano skeeving in the background, it’s a cynical counterpoint toany indie-rock fans who mistakenly think the Dead were all dancing bears and turtles.

12. Friend of the Devil – Mumford & Sons
It’s not a fast “FotD,” or the slow version—it’s a predictably mid-tempo take from arguably the compilation’s biggest artist at the time of its release. More in the spirit of the recent, less rootsy, arena-rock Mumford & Sons, it’s a rom-com soundtrack—glossy and yearning in a way that the Dead could never have pulled off had they even wanted to.

13. Uncle John’s Band – Lucius
The first truly dramatic reworking of the set changes the original folky strummer into 21st-century Brooklyn electro-pop. And if you can get past the initial shock, it’s actually a pretty successful experiment, with singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig nailing the all-important harmonies, and a bizarre, schizoid mix of lo-fi drums and keys that even dares to chop up the beloved closing riff.

14. Me and My Uncle – The Lone Bellow & Friends
After all, the alternative is trying to sound as greasy and grimy as the Dead and missing the mark badly. The Lone Bellow’s cover of John Phillips’ cowboy tale is just too dang polite, with the only creative addition some Morricone-ish backing vocals fulfilling the band’s name.

15. Mountains of the Moon – Lee Ranaldo, Lisa Hannigan & Friends
Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo was one of the earliest flag-wavers for indie/Dead diplomatic relations, and his first song is a true head’s choice. Despite his noise-rock credentials, “MotM” is done indie-jamstyle, letting the cosmic lyrics handle the psychedelic responsibilities.

16. Black Peter – ANOHNI and yMusic
The pairing of ANOHNI—best known for her work as Antony & The Johnsons—and modern classical ensemble yMusic is one of the set’s most intriguing, never mind handing them one of the Dead’s most underrated tunes. So perhaps it isn’t surprising that the result is nearly unrecognizable and quite disorienting, with even the lyrics rewritten and rushed. A curio.

17. Garcia Counterpoint – Bryce Dessner
Outside of The National, Bryce Dessner moonlights as a composer and, here, he lends some of that classical training to this original piece. Though it’s not orchestral—rather, it’s a gorgeous, polyphonic collage of looped guitars playing licks that are very Jerry without evoking any specific songs—it’s closest to “Althea,” but never quite traces it. It’s sort of a minimalist Grayfolded, and a welcome change of pace from the songier tributes.

18. Terrapin Station (Suite) – Daniel Rossen, Christopher Bear & The National (featuring Josh Kaufman, Conrad Doucette, So Percussion and Brooklyn Youth Chorus)
The undisputed centerpiece of the compilation goes all out on the full “Terrapin Station” suite—youth choir, percussion troupe, woodwinds, strings, the works—in a loving representation of the Dead at their most excessive. But it also stretches past mere reverence with some fun swerves, like an abrupt pullback on the big “inspiration” line and a clever tease in the “Terrapin Flyer” section.

19. Attics of My Life – Angel Olsen
After that heavy meal, “Attics” is a welcome digestif, a mellow mini-choir drenched in echo, accompanied by little more than brushed drums. If only the wordless vocal and lap-steel bridge were longer.

20. St. Stephen (Live) – Wilco with Bob Weir
One of two live “encore bonus” tracks featuring Weir, this one is a lovably AUD-y recording with a nearly inaudible Bobby, and Nels Cline doing his best impression of Jerry at his busiest. It gets a little shaky in the bridge, but the band nails the crunch of the back half, with some great Glenn Kotche drum fills.