Exquisite Ghost

Writing press releases is not Jordan Thomas' strong suit. Scrawled across a single piece of folded up paper that came with his debut LP was the following: "From Winnipeg w/ love + blessings. 'recommended if you like' FlyLo, Dilla, Pete Rock, Gaslamp Killer, Nosaj Thing, HudMo, Samiyam, Music." But Thomas hasn't had time to perfect his promotional skills; he's been too busy writing and recording Shrines, his excellent first release under the pseudonym Exquisite Ghost. The LP bears surprising sonic resemblances to his heroes: the skittering "Evening" evokes the most recent Flying Lotus album; the haunted, circling "Loom" could be a Nosaj Thing track; and "Yacht Donuts" is downright Dilla-esque. Sure, this means that the release is sometimes derivative, but that mostly misses the point: Shrines is a varied, remarkable collection of recordings that demonstrate Thomas is able to replicate the sounds of a variety of forbearers with skill and top-notch production. Imagine what he'll sound like when he's making up some of his own? Exquisite Ghost is an artist to watch, but in the meantime, do yourself a favour and listen, too.