The Comedians -- Moon Colony Bloodbath

If you know me in real life, you're probably aware that I'm a big fan of The Mountain Goats. So, needless to say, when I saw John Darnielle and John Vanderslice play live this spring, I was stoked. While at the venue, I was personally told by John Darnielle himself that he had played this show to break my heart (he didn't play 'Song for an Old Friend'). During his set, however, between various fan favorites and a three-song bit from Full Force Galesburg, John Vanderslice came onto stage to play with Darnielle. After some of Darnielle's always-great banter, they launched into a set of songs described as being about 'that organ harvesting colony on the moon that the crazy guys are always telling you about, only you don't believe them because they're crazy'. Sure enough, when this 7-song EP was made available at shows (I think starting with the show they played the day after I saw them), it was about exactly that. John and John alternate singing between the tracks as they tell the story of a man driven mad by his work harvesting organs. Featuring spot-on performances by both men, this EP, along with Satanic Messiah and Black Pear Tree, more than makes up for Darnielle's slightly weak showing on 2008's Heretic Pride. All in all, a solid EP about a biziarre concept that leaves me hoping that the Johns will team up again in the future to record something similar.