2000 should not be the year of the Dragon, but the year of Pitchshifter. --Chinese symbol of vitality and strength--should instead be replaced with Pitchshifter's , a sign of indomitable creativity in the face of abject mediocrity. If there were any justice in the world and we were judged on the merits of our creative genius and steadfast work ethic, most of the past decade would belong to these Nottingham noiseniks. Editor Craig Young spent the better part of Summer 2000 pursuing Pitchshifter and stopped by the eP offices long enough to file this report.

When you peel back the sonic fury of any modern rock music, you are left with the bare bones of the lyrical structure--that underlying framework which gives heft and substance to the ditties which stick in your head. Poet Nicole Blackman brings a dark melancholy to these foundations and, in association with like-minded producers, crafts songs that get into the marrow of your bones. Mark Teppo got a chance to share a bottle of wine and a pretty fabulous sunset with Ms. Blackman and did his best to pick her brain as the sun went down.