There are so many songs about the futility of life, and a desire for something better. Songwriters like John Prine and Daniel Johnston are on two ends of a certain spectrum of disproportionately influential musicians whose work has found its way deep into the crevice of our collective psyche - staples in cover sets from bluegrass to shoegaze to psych rock for decades. Why? Do we find hope in the listless ramblings of imperfect heroes? Do we think we can tap into something that they knew when they wrote them? Or are we just asking the same questions over and over, hoping that if we reach a chorus loud enough the sky will open up and rain down the riches of whatever's on the other side?

Thomas Mudrick's contributions to the Ten Dollar Recording Co. world of sound have brought technicolor splashes of rural bliss, a sort of dreamy space folk dragged out of the woods and into the light. A fine soundtrack to a chill fishing trip in heaven. His take on these two songs by Prine and Johnston are bare, direct, and earnest. Rich acoustic performances with subtle embellishment that let the songs and performance shine. On the flip side, we have Mariya May's brighter spin on both tunes - dreamy and playful, with layers and layers of gooey goodness to dig into, accompanied as usual by the inimitable multi-instrumentalist and engineer Mo Douglas. Listen to these - at this point we might as well call them timeless - and imagine your own future, including what might come at the end, because it will. This is a promise with a catch. (Bryan Bruchman)

"True Love Will Find You in the End" is written by Daniel Johnston

"Fish and Whistle" is written by John Prine

Cover song licensing by Easy Song

Produced by Mo Douglas, Thomas Mudrick, and Mariya May

Mixed and Mastered by Mo Douglas

Tracks 1, 3 are performed by Thomas Mudrick (vocals, guitar, melodica, tambourine, synth)

Tracks 2, 4 are performed by Mariya May (vocals, flute); with Mo Douglas (guitars, bass, percussion, mandolin, harmonica)

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