Mozart’s symphonies numbered 30 through 34 are rarely played. The 29th made a lasting impression on 20th century musicians, and it is programmed frequently. The last three symphonies, 39, 40 and 41, get most of the programming time. The three big symphonies that precede these, the 35th, 36th, and 38th (there is no 37th) get a lot of attention also, and they have nicknames: The Haffner, the Linz, and the Prague. What happened between 29 and 35? Did Mozart’s symphonic composing fall into a trough?

In the next few weeks (Feb 13th through March, 2018), we will take a listen at these symphonies, beginning with the absolutely delightful 30th. We will see Mozart experimenting—just as he often did—and composing some music that deserves at least as much attention as the 29th.

MasterClassics with Tobias airs Tuesday mornings, 6 to 9am on WPRB.

In support of the his new record “Midtown Tilt,” (ShhPuma) Nick Millevoi makes a return appearance on WPRB this week.

While the album is the latest for Nick Millevoi’s Desertion Trio, this time with Jamie Saft accompanying the group on organ, Millevoi will be joined for a guitar / bass collaboration by Ben Rosen.

This performance shall debut on Jon Solomon’s show this Wednesday, January 31st at 6:00 pm ET.

Then on Thursday, Millevoi celebrates his album’s release with a full band set at Johnny Brenda’s, supported by harpist Brandee Younger.

Stream selections from “Midtown Tilt” below and don’t miss Nick Millevoi’s Desertion Duo live on WPRB.

Guitarist Nick Millevoi’s (Chris Forsyth and the Solar Motel Band, John Zorn’s Bagatelles) Desertion project has created its second opus, Midtown Tilt. Now using the title Desertion Trio, the band features Johnny DeBlase (Many Arms, Sabbath Assembly) on bass, and Kevin Shea (Mostly Other People Do The Killing, Talibam!) at the drumkit, and follows 2016’s Desertion by also featuring guest Jamie Saft (Electric Masada, The New Standard Trio with and without Iggy Pop) on the organ. Vibraphonist and percussionist Ashley Tini joins on three tracks.
Much like Desertion, the formula for Midtown Tilt continues to follow an instrumental country-folkrock mix with elements from jazz, as we would expect from these musicians. The musicians improvise as if their lives depend on it, but also evoke an imagery that takes listeners through the history of instrumental electric guitar music. Inspired by the town of Wildwood, NJ and the anachronistic clash of re-imagined cultures seen in its motels and amusements, Midtown Tilt is an amalgamation of jazz, psychedelic blues, surf music, and country rock instrumentals, often reminding us of Neil Young’s Crazy Horse scoring a western. Through Saft’s organ, something else is added: traces of the rhythm and blues played by Booker T. & The M.G.’s and of the blues-rock of bands like The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith. The mix is explosive.

Another music organization, another top albums list. But ours is actually worth reading.

Tons of experimental, mind-melting, avant-whatever here, in many flavors: electronic, punk, folk, ambient, post-rock, zolo, kraut, emo, jazz, sludge, neo-classical, hip hop, industrial, math rock, done, shoegaze, leftfield, gross, weirdo, beegolb, joflig, hiofsie, fwiafl, fjeoiwjgl, fhowrjlw…

Thanks to everyone who made this a great year in music and radio! On-heckin’-ward!

(If you’d like to see an ~illustrated version~ of this list with all the album art, email music@wprb.com.)

1. LAUREL HALO, Dust, Hyperdub

2. VARIOUS, Magnetband: Experimenteller Elektronik-Underground DDR 1984-1989, Bureau B

3. MACULA DOG, Natural Dog, Haord

4. PALBERTA, Bye Bye Berta, Wharf Cat

5. ARCA, Arca, XL

6. ANNIE ANXIETY, Soul Possession, Dais

7. MARK FEEHAN, M.F. II, Richie

8. MHYSA, fantasii, Halcyon Veil

9. GRAILS, Chalice Hymnal, Temporary Residence

10. PHARMAKON, Contact, Sacred Bones

11. RYUICHI SAKAMOTO, async, Milan

12. SNEAKS, It’s a Myth, Merge

13. VOIGT/465, Slights Still Unspoken, Guerssen

14. TAIWAN HOUSING PROJECT, Veblen Death Mask, Kill Rock Stars

15. FAUST, Fresh Air, Bureau B

16. VARIOUS, Typical Girls Vol. 2, Emotional Response

17. CAMP COPE, Camp Cope, Run For Cover

18. CABO BOING, Blob on a Grid, Haord

19. MIDORI TAKADA, Through the Looking Glass, WRWTFWWR

20. UROCHROMES, Night Bully, Wharf Cat

21. RICH LABONTE, Mayan Canals, Dark Entries

22. AWA POULO, Poulo Warali, Awesome Tapes from Africa

23. FAT WORM OF ERROR, Nzznzzzznnznznnn, Feeding Tube

24. AYE NAKO, Silver Haze, Don Giovanni

25. LAIBACH, Also Sprach Zarathustra, Mute

26. JUANA MOLINA, Halo, Crammed Discs

27. VISIBLE CLOAKS, Reassemblage, RVNG Intl.

28. GIRLPOOL, Powerplant, Anti-

29. WALL, Untitled, Wharf Cat

30. JAIMIE BRANCH, Fly or Die, International Anthem

31. XETAS, The Tower, 12XU

32. SHEER MAG, Sheer Mag, Static Shock/Wilsuns

33. WORRIERS, Survival Pop, SideOneDummy

34. CARLA DAL FORNO, The Garden, Blackest Ever Black

35. DE-BONS-EN-PIERRE, Crepes, Dark Entries

36. USA/Mexico, Laredo, 12XU

37. PAN DAIJING, Lack, PAN

38. SCANTRON, 882-E, Discontinuous Innovation

39. AQUASERGE, Laisse Ca Etre, Almost Musique

40. KELLY LEE OWENS, Kelly Lee Owens, Smalltown Supersound

41. FLORIST, If Blue Could Be Happiness, Double Double Whammy

42. AARON DILLOWAY, The Gag File, Dais

43. BENJAMIN CLEMENTINE, I Tell A Fly, Barclay

44. ART FEYNMAN, Blast Off Through the Wicker, Western Vinyl

45. VAGABON, Infinite Worlds, Father/Daughter

46. FROM NURSERY TO MISERY, Pixies in the Woods, Dark Entries

47. BROKEBACK, Illinois River Valley Blues, Thrill Jockey

48. JOHN MAUS, Screen Memories, Ribbon

49. VASUDEVA, No Clearance, Skeletal Lightning

50. HOLY MOTORS, Sleeprydr, Wharf Cat

51. HARAM, When You Have Won, You Have Lost, La Vida Es Un Mus Discos

52. GUERILLA TOSS, GT Ultra, DFA

53. TREVOR BABB, Warmth, Innova

54. KENSUKE IDE WITH HIS MOTHERSHIP, Otemoyan Isan, EM

55. ENDLESS BOOGIE, Vibe Killer, No Quarter

56. PALM, Shadow Expert, Carpark

57. MEGA BOG, Happy Together, Nicey

58. MAX ROACH, We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite, Cornbread

59. DIASPORA, Demo 2017, self-released

60. GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR, Luciferian Towers, Constellation

61. SIDEWALK CHALK, An Orchid is Born, Ropeadope

62. SACRED PAWS, Strike a Match, Rock Action

63. VIDEO NASTIES, Video Nasties, Feeding Tube

64. ALICE COLTRANE TURIYASANGITANANDA, World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda, Luaka Bop

65. BLONDE REDHEAD, 3 O’Clock, Asa Wa Kuru

66. THE DOGS, Slash Your Face, Almost Ready

67. PINEGROVE, Everything So Far, Run For Cover

68. MW ENSEMBLE, Music for Piano Transmission, Ionik

69. THOMAS LEER, 1979, Dark Entries

70. THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE, Don’t Get Lost, ‘a’

71. DAMAGED BUG, Bunker Funk, Castle Face

72. W. ZABARKAS, The Origin of Dreams, Glistening Examples

72. WAXAHATCHEE, Out in the Storm, Merge

74. MICHAEL CHAPMAN, 50, Paradise of Bachelors

75. HALF WAIF, form/a, Cascine

76. REQUIEM, For a World After, Mental Experience

77. ADULT., Detroit House Guests, Mute

78. SLOWDIVE, Slowdive, Dead Oceans

79. LULA PENA, Archivo Pittoresco, Crammed Discs

80. DANA, Dana, Heel Turn

81. MORRICONE YOUTH, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, Country Club

82. VARIOUS, Uzelli Psychedelic Anadolu, Uzelli Kaset San

83. MIDNIGHT SISTER, Saturn Over Sunset, Jagjaguwar

84. TAPIMAN, Hard Drive, Guerssen

85. ALLISON CRUTCHFIELD, Tourist in This Town, Merge

86. IAN CHANG, Spiritual Leader, Kowloon

87. KELLEY STOLTZ, Que Aura, Castle Face

88. FLESH WORLD, Into the Shroud, Dark Entries

89. WRITHING SQUARES TOO, Victory for Womankind, Richie

90. SCHNEIDER-KACIREK, Radius Walk, Bureau B

91. DUDS, Of a Nature or Degree, Castle Face

92. SOCCER MOMMY, Collection, Fat Possum

93. R. STEVIE MOORE & JASON FALKNER, Make It Be, Lost Colony

94. ANJOU, Epithymia, Kranky

95. JULIAN LAGE & CHRIS ELDRIDGE, Mount Royal, Free Dirt

96. HAND HABITS, Wildly Idle, Woodsist

97. BLANCHE BLANCHE BLANCHE, Wooden Ball, NNA Tapes

98. DOWNTRODDER, II, self-released

99. NICOLE MITCHELL, Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds, FPE

100. THIGH MASTER, BBC, 12XU

101. KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD, Flying Microtonal Banana, ATO

102. BLANK SQUARE, Animal I, Castle Face

103. PSYCHIC TEENS, Hex, Hex

Others we loved this year, released before 2017:

MARIE DAVIDSON // Adieux Au Dancefloor // Cititrax
VARIOUS // Oz Waves: Australian DIY // Efficient Space
CARLA DAL FORNO // You Know What It’s Like // Blackest Ever Black
ANNA HOMLER & STEVE MOSHIER // Breadwoman & Other Tales // RVNG Intl.
YVES TUMOR // Serpent Music // PAN
AHOE-AHOEA // True Love Never Dies // Bunkerpop
BODY/HEAD // No Waves // Matador
NHK YX KOYXEN // Doom Steppy Reverb // Diagonal
FLESH FROG // Flesh Frog // Shovel Tusker
ANGEL // 2017 // Faro
JAMES CHANCE & THE CONTORTIONS // The Flesh Is Weak // True Groove
K. LEIMER // A Period of Review: Original Recordings 1975-1983 // RVNG Intl.
COLD FOAMERS // All Cold Everything // Slugsalt

In honor of that joyous, time-tested holiday LABOR DAY, we here at WPRB are proud to present L A B O R W A V E, a 20 hour specialty programming marathon starting at 6AM on September 4.

We have an all-star lineup of WPRB DJs who will each be taking a two hour chunk of the day and doing a show with an intriguing theme – you’ll hear everything from music made with industrial appliances to field recordings of protest movements worldwide to stuff from the Nurse With Wound list (read: left-of-the-dial radio scripture).

Check out our full schedule below, including short descriptions for each show! Also, be sure to RSVP to our Facebook event here and tune in on September 4 at WPRB.com or on your FM dial at 103.3.