Philadelphia singer/musician (and poet, and owner of the independent publishing company Heartworm Press) Wes Eisold used to be quite the punk rocker, playing in numerous notable hardcore and noise bands including Give Up the Ghost, American Nightmare, and Some Girls. A couple of years ago, however, he left all that behind, started experimenting with synthesizers and drum machines, and eventually founded Cold Cave, which merges New Order-style synth-pop with a moody, icy post-punk aesthetic for a sound that’s both dark and danceable. Recently, Eisold’s one-man operation swelled into a quartet with the addition of Caralee McElroy (ex-Xiu Xiu), Dominick Furnow, and Sarah Lipstate. Cold Cave was also signed by Matador Records, which just re-issued the group’s Love Comes Close LP, an album that’s generated some, rather hardcore – and well-deserved – buzz. With Former Ghosts. All ages. MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG

Mon., Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m., 2009