''Shipwreck Radio'' is a series of albums by
Nurse With Wound documenting their residency in
Lofoten
Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvà ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
during June and July 2004. Invited to stay in the unofficial capital, fishing village
Svolvær
Svolvær () is the administrative centre of Vågan Municipality in Nordland County, Norway. It is located on the island of Austvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago, along the Vestfjorden. The town has a population (2018) of 4,720 which gives t ...
,
Steven Stapleton and Colin Potter were commissioned to produce 3 radio broadcasts per week for local station Lofotradioen of music constructed from whatever they heard or could find around the island. The project was instigated by Anne Hilde Neset and Rob Young of
The Wire
''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...
and by Kunst I Nordland, an organisation committed to bringing
contemporary art
Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...
to county of
Nordland.
The duo created 24 broadcasts in total, each of either 15 or 30 minutes duration. Each broadcast was preceded by a
jingle
A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...
of a male voice saying ''"Velkommen Til Utvær"'' followed by a female voice saying the English translation ''"Welcome To Utvær"'',
Utvær
Utvær is an island group in Solund Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is the westernmost archipelago in Norway. The main residential area on the rocky islands is also called Utvær. It lies on the western side of the Sognesjøen which ...
being the most remote island in
Lofoten
Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvà ...
, with no permanent residents but 2 lighthouse keepers on hand.
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070929122812/http://www.jensbua.no/en/attraksjonar/utver.html] Many of the broadcasts treated or manipulated the two introductory voices with one consisting of nothing but such manipulations. 20 of these transmissions have been made available by Nurse With Wound across a number of separate releases with all tracks listed only by the date of original broadcast.
Shipwreck Radio Volume One
A double CD issued on Colin Potter's own ICR label. The release is subtitled ''"Seven Sonic Structures From Utvær"''. It was issued in November 2004.
Disc One
# "June 15" – 16:01
# "June 17" – 30:39
# "July 24" – 15:22
Disc Two
# "June 5" – 15:13
# "July 6" – 15:02
# "June 3" – 15:57
# "June 20" – 15:26
An initial run of 150 copies came with a third disc entitled Lofoten Deadhead.
# "July 8" – 14:51
# "June 5" – 30:02
# "July 10" – 15:08
''June 5'' mostly consists of untreated recordings of Stapleton and Potter walking around their environs recording basic sounds for use.
Shipwreck Radio Volume Two
A second double CD, again issued on ICR. The release is subtitled ''"Eight Enigmatic Episodes from Utvær"''. It was released in November 2005.
Disc One
# "June 12" – 14:52
# "June 9" – 15:28
# "July 4" – 15:02
# "July 21" – 15:33
Disc Two
# "July 18" – 16:29
# "June 6" – 15:35
# "July 28" – 15:03
# "June 19" – 14:35
An initial run of 250 copies came with a third disc entitled Gulls Just Wanna Have Fun. Tracks 5, 8 and 10 begin with the "Welcome to Utvær" jingle, but due to a lack of dating on the packaging, it is unknown if these were actual broadcasts or simply outtakes. The shorter pieces are sound experiments.
# untitled – 0:59
# untitled – 15:58
# untitled – 1:09
# untitled – 0:56
# untitled – 9:34
# untitled – 0:40
# untitled – 0:55
# untitled – 14:49
# untitled – 2:20
# untitled – 14:20
# untitled – 15:00
# untitled – 3:14
Shipwreck Radio: Final Broadcasts
This is a single disc, issued by ICR in June 2006, initially sold at NWW's live performances in San Francisco.
# "June 22" – 30:18
# "July 13" – 30:29
References
{{Nurse with Wound
Nurse with Wound albums