CAVE IN aren’t about to return to a full-time touring life anytime soon, but the band is stringing together short runs here and there. In mid-November the band will be playing shows on the east coast with TRAP THEM and NARROWS for what should be a damn good time. Dates are below.

w/ Trap Them and Narrows

November 19th The Knitting Factory Brooklyn, NY

November 20 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA

November 21 Club Hell Providence, RI

November 22 The Middle East Downstairs Cambridge, MA

The band’s four song EP Planets of Old is still available for streaming here, and a limited CD version of the EP is expected at some point in 201o.

- Twenty years down and still unstoppable, STRUNG OUT one-up 2007′s terrific “return to from” Blackhawks Over Los Angeles and put together their best full-length since the melodicore classic Twisted by Design. For those looking to stream it outside of Lala, it’s also running all week over at AOL’s Spinner.

Suicide File (TIH 2009, Phase 1) from hate5six productions on Vimeo.

- Unreal quality.

Victory Records’ FOUR LETTER LIE have their new full-length, A New Day, streaming through a “VictoryStream” player. You can access the player here, and listen to the music after a brief email exchange. This is the band’s third full-length for the label, following up 2008′s What A Terrible Thing To Say.

- Is this really the same band that wrote the immensely boring release Let Your Body Take Over? Looks like some line-up changes did the band well. Whatever pop influence the band had has mostly been torn into shreds… this is mostly mid-tempo post-hardcore that shockingly reminds me on a few songs of SILENT MAJORIY/CAPITAL, both musically, and in the shouted vocals of Brian Nagan (lyrics are a different ballgame, however). Mind is partially blown.

From the inbox:

Black Numbers is pleased to announce that it will release You Didn’t Know I Was Alphabetical, the latest full-length from New Brunswick, NJ native and ex-Outsmarting Simon front man PJ BOND.

The album, which will be released November 10th on both vinyl and CD formats, is now up for pre-order from the label. Black Numbers will press 300 copies of the LP (100 white, 200 blue), as well as a short run (200) of hand-screened CDs with liner notes personally written by PJ. No two of these limited edition discs are alike. There is an “official” CD version of You Didn’t Know I Was Alphabetical as well.

Beside Outsmarting Simon, Bond has also been a member of The Color Fred, Charlotte Sometimes, Marigold and Communipaw (with brother, Brian Bond). In comparison to previous endeavors, Alphabetical is decidedly more organic, homespun affair – a heartfelt slice of creaky, back porch Americana tossed against a perfectly catchy pop backdrop. Still, the record has a little bit of everything, from rustic, uptempo alt-country rockers to haunting, melancholy acoustic offerings and sweetly infectious indie numbers. For fans of Rocky Votolato, Neutral Milk Hotel, Whiskeytown and Elliott Smith.

mp3: “You, Too”

- Cool to see PJ BOND surface with a new solo work. This press release made me dig up the OUTSMARTING SIMON full-length, Silent, Sober and Sound, which I reviewed here, a bunch of years ago. I still heartily recommend checking out that release.

ABRAXIS is a solo act that pens metallic hardcore songs from the “Holy Terror” school of thought. The usuals of INTEGRITY and RINGWORM are mentioned to frame the band, and I’ve got no quibble with that, though I think the depth of the songwriting here is on the more complicated side of things. Several songs from the full-length, Frequency Deleted are available on the artist’s MySpace page.

Melodic hardcore/punk band AFTER THE FALL have posted a new song from their upcoming new EP on Mightier than Sword and Animal Style. The tune is titled “Collar City” and is also the title track for the EP. You can stream it here. The band will leaving for Europe next week for a nine date run of shows with ANTILLECTUAL, and will resume their touring in the US, which will include three shows at the Fest 8 at the end of October.

Deranged Records reloads its roster of Canadian punk and hardcore bands like the top tier college football programs do to their rosters each year after graduation and the NFL draft.  With rarely a misstep, and always a plethora of raw talent, Deranged continues to impress at an inordinate pace, and the latest band to support [...]