After stumbling upon a Mother’s Day tribute post earlier today that featured an unsurprisingly great take on a Paul Simon tune by cover song pros The Morning Benders, it occurred to me that Simon’s oeuvre — a staple of my, and perhaps their, father’s record collection — has become a notable point of reference for a number of indie bands and solo artists of late. In the past couple years, The Tallest Man on Earth, Local Natives, Jens Lekman, Conor Oberst, Ezra Koenig, Spoon, and others have turned in reverent renditions of songs penned by “Jerry” of the famous duo once dubbed Tom and Jerry. Enjoy 9 standouts from the Rhymin’ Simon craze below:
The Morning Benders – “Mother and Child Reunion”
The Tallest Man on Earth – “Graceland”
Local Natives – “Cecilia” (Simon & Garfunkel)
Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig – “Papa Hobo”
Jens Lekman – “You Can Call Me Al”
Spoon – “Peace Like a River” (Daytrotter Session)
Grizzly Bear’s Dan Rossen – “Graceland”
Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band – “Kodachrome”
Peter Bjorn and John – “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”