So my blogging "vacation" went a few weeks longer than Jason's, thanks to a few things in the mix. The more interesting half was a trip to Prague (which was a blast) and Budapest (which was flat-out *amazing* - making the current state of affairs there a bit unsettling). Then school started back up again, and it's been keeping me busy since. But what else I have been up to?

Well, last week had two highlights:

- Soulwax's visit to Studio B in Brooklyn last Thursday tops the list. I was looking forward to the party mainly for the 2manyDJ's set - they're always fun live, and it'd been ages since I last saw them. I was looking at Soulwax's live Nite Versions set as a mere bonus. I had things completely wrong. Soulwax absolutely killed it, putting on one of the best shows I've seen all year.

Inspired by the Human League's Love and Dancing, Nite Versions is Soulwax's Any Minute Now LP remixed in entirety, and the band played it straight through on Thursday with just a few changes - "Another Excuse" got moved to the middle, and snippets from some choice covers ("Your Love"!) were peppered throughout. With a drummer and guitarist joining the Dewaele brothers on keyboards, they played it 100% live (!) and were insanely tight and energetic. Not once they did miss a beat or slip up. I never expected to be so blown away. They reminded me of LCD Soundsystem live, except they took that sound to totally new heights. Perhaps the best thing I can say about the show is that I'll never again think of 2manyDJ's as DJ's first and the guys behind Soulwax second. The fact that I heard only 15 minutes of their DJ set and didn't mind says it all.

- Girl Talk's Night Ripper was an August obsession of mine, and I made my way to APT last Tuesday to catch him live. The most common criticism I've heard about Girl Talk is that he isn't doing anything with his sample-heavy style that Diplo and others haven't done before. I can see that, but Girl Talk's approach is so much more frenzied that I think it still feels fresh. Diminishing returns will probably be an issue, but last week's party came early enough in the curve for me. His live set was good - about what you'd expect, but not as crazy with the samples as on album. It still made for a fun time though. (But my highlight of the night was Roy Dank dropping Loose Joints' "Tell You (Today)" - love that song!)

Plus I've been working through lots of albums in the listening pile, including:

Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass. This album most reminds me of Electr-O-Pura, but what I love is how it doesn't sound quite like anything the band has released to date. The most valid criticism of Summer Sun was that YLT were settling into a groove. You can't say that about this one, not with the falsetto piano pop of "Mr. Tough" staring you in the eye just a few songs after the stellar 10-minute opening guitar jam "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind" (MP3). The band recently did a "Name That Tune" feature for the Guardian, and Ira Kaplan wrote up 12 of his favorite albums for eMusic. Both are worth a read. YLT plays Jersey City this Friday, and I cannot wait.

Arthur Russell - Springfield. Take the loopy disco of Calling Out of Context (and especially "Calling All Kids"), add in the dreamy strings, synths, and vocals of Russell's quieter work, and sprinkle in effects liberally. Springfield sees many of AR's styles colliding, and it works wonderfully. "Springfield" - both the original and the DFA remix - is the big highlight here, but I also love the sound of Russell's cello running through a distortion pedal on "You Have Did The Right Thing When You Put That Skylight In" (MP3). Kudos to Audika Records for putting this release together.

Cassy - Panorama Bar 01. Mix of the year? Too many contenders and it's too early to say, but it's up there for me. CD's like this make me want to move to Berlin.

Yellow Magic Orchestra - Yellow Magic Orchestra and Solid State Survivor. Thank you Senor Coconut for turning me on to these guys, the "Japanese Kraftwerk." Try the awesome "Firecracker" (MP3) or their deliciously ragged cover of "Day Tripper" (MP3).

The Velvet Underground - VU. Someone should've told me this was essential listening sooner! "Foggy Notion" alone gets it there.

Also:

Matador has made Matmos's fantastic "Steams and Sequins for Larry Levan" (MP3) available for download. Matmos make their name with electronics but always top themselves live, and this song was the easy winner of their two spring NYC shows. It turned into a 6 person percussion jam both times, and that's not counting all the live sampling. They're back in October for two shows at the Symphony Space. Not to be missed!