Seraph (Downtown Records) is quite unlike any other record I can name. Any attempts to form expectations by lumping it in with this or that contemporary genre will only undermine your efforts to understand what Thomas Arsenault (a.k.a. Mas Ysa) is getting up to here. Certainly, there are echoes of chillwave and the widespread use of ’80s-era drums and synths, but I choose to believe that’s more a coincidence than an indication of any trendy intentions from Mr. Aresenault. This album is far more art than pop. It bears resemblance to the work of Jane Siberry, Joanna Newsom, and Rufus Wainwright’s more operatic endeavors. Often, it’s reminiscent of early Peter Gabriel, not so much in its sound, but in the methods behind Aresenault’s mad emotions. (Though, there are moments when the vocal resemblance is uncanny.) The pop sometimes takes precedence over the art, but there are always elements that prevent you from getting too comfortable.

“Arrow” is the album’s shibboleth. It’s one of the longer tracks, and it contains most of what you’ll hear elsewhere. Arsenault struggles to convey the depth of his emotions with a warbling, breathy singing voice. A thin, unsettling, almost squeaky synth winds its way through the track. Then the beat drops like a heart attack and the track gets danceable, but it really doesn’t make you want to dance. If the drums are big and the bass is loud, it’s only to convey the size of Arsenault’s love. And then that icky, sticky synth hits you in the spleen, not the crotch. It gets close to catharsis, but Arsenault is still singing fervently to get there.

Mas Ysa’s live performances feel like this too; I’ve never seen a man put so much feeling into turning a few knobs. You might be compelled to jump up and down, but you’ll have a hard time ignoring the figure convulsing on-stage. But if you give yourself over to the scene, you’ll find something more unfathomable than the average dance party. Similarly, if you get through “Arrow” and you still feel up to the challenge, there’s ever more art and ever more cognitive dissonance awaiting you. Fortunately or otherwise, there’s nothing I can write that would truly prepare you for it.