The December 2011 EP release by Mutual Benefit is a pinnacle example of what musicians can achieve when they work together. Jordan Lee teamed up with members of Lizard Kisses, Share-a-tories, and Birthdays to create The Cowboy’s Prayer, half of a split release with Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The beautifully crafted first track “Auburn Epitaphs” takes you away to an ethereal place where indie meets folk. If Monsters of Folk sat around a bonfire with rugged frontiersmen crooning about life and death, they would come up with a song like this. Yearning guitar plucking, soft vocals, and imploring lyrics form a heartbreaking ballad that sounds more like it was dreamed up under a starry sky than recorded in Brooklyn and Boston studios.

The EP’s title track is derived from the 1883 poem entitled “A Cowboy’s Prayer,” which was written by a minister’s son who found spirituality not in church but rather the great outdoors of the Southwestern prairie. “Auburn Epitaphs” also echoes the tone of this nineteenth century ode to wide open spaces. Jordan Lee sings “You carved some words into a stone/ After you left for the great unknown/ You really hoped that it would mean something.” If any of you are dorky literary types (like yours truly) you can view the poem here and compare it to its musical companion.

The 5 track digital album is being given away for a wink and a smile at the group's bandcamp. Listening to this EP is like taking a voyage to the great western plains without ever leaving your living room. We highly recommend you take the trip.