WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK: There’s a new track out by now Athens-related band Arbor Labor Union (formerly Pinecones) named “Flowerhead.” The single is being used to announce that the band will have a new album out in February on Athens’ own Arrowhawk Records (Bambara, Shana Falana, Cinemechanica). The single is either a stylistic shift or a case of artistic growth—your call—but the fact remains it is a step away from the droney, motorik, heavy stuff we’re used to from the band. Indeed, “Flowerhead” seems to be mostly influenced by the Meat Puppets and yodeling. As a fan of each, I’m down. Get up to speed regarding this news and Arbor Labor Union as such via arrowhawkrecords.com and arborlaborunion.bandcamp.com.

SERENITY SUNDAY: New-ish local label Garden Portal will host Boston guitarist Joseph Allred Sunday, Dec. 8 at Hendershot’s. He’s the flagship artist for the nascent label, which is the brainchild of Michael Potter (Null Zone), and local support for this show comes courtesy of Madeline Polites, Frank Hurricane and the Garden Portal Pond Band. True to the flavor of the label, the entire show is oriented toward experimental and compositional acoustic music. This show is all ages, five bucks in advance, $7 at the door, starts at 8 p.m. sharp and is due to be completed by 11 p.m. Advance tickets may be purchased at hendershotsathens.com, and you can dive deeply into show prep at gardenportal.bandcamp.com. 

THE NAME GAME: Although she hails from Macon, musician and songwriter SaVana Cameron now calls Athens home. She’s been performing under the name Atria for a long time, but recently changed it up and is now playing under the name Daughter Snow. When I asked about the change, she told me the name “felt right for the spirit of [her] new album and chapter.” Previously, she had an entire band, but due to some major life changes, including guitarist Zach Farr heading to New Zealand to further study music therapy, she’s back to being a solo artist. This URL will probably change at some point, but for now you can still get up to speed on all this over at facebook.com/atriaband.

NONE MORE BLACK: The now cross-continental band Feather Trade has a new EP out named Press Play UK. Thematically, it plows the dark, dynamic ground the band has perfected as its sound over the past five years or so. The highlight track is the opener “Deadboy,” which takes all the blackness explored by, say, Lords of the New Church, early Love and Rockets, latter-day Flock of Seagulls and even current Bambara, then mixes it with a huge dose of class consciousness and warfare and sets the whole thing on fire. Dig, if you will, over at feathertrade.bandcamp.com. 

BACK FROM THE GRAVE: Some new digital tracks just arrived from the graveyard of The Humms. The three songs, originally released in 2010 by Silver Spring, MD, label Arnold Records, have found themselves back at their spiritual home of Gypsy Farm. The first track, “Don’t Think About Death,” was featured on the band’s album Lemonland. The next two, “Buttermilk” and “Uncle Sam Took My Baby Away,” are, respectively, bayou psych and sing-along style country gospel, and each was run thoroughly through the mad mind machine of The Humms. Even squares will dig this. Check it at gypsyfarmrecords.bandcamp.com, where you can also purchase it on vinyl. 

HOLIDAY ROCK: The Full Moon School of Music will host its semi-annual Rockcital at Hendershot's Sunday, Dec. 8 from 2–5 p.m. For this event, all current students of the school have been grouped into bands and will perform a varied selection of classic and modern tunes. Attendees can enjoy refreshments and even purchase merchandise, so take some bucks. For more information on the event and the school itself, see facebook.com/theFullMoonSchoolOfMusic.