Mas Ysa Years

There is something almost religious about the utterly enthralling experience of listening to Mas Ysa, the moniker of nomadic composer Thomas Arsenault.

"Years," with its quivering vocals, perfectly placed minimalist keys, and faintly eerie strings, is prayer-like in its slow-burning melancholy; it's a polar opposite to the Montreal-born artist's debut offering, "Why."

Beginning quietly enough, the latter is a track that blends "unabashed ecstatic pop" and techno tones into "danceable, melancholy folk music that pummels the heart rather than dances around it" -- a promising teaser from the New York based performer who's played with the likes of Deerhunter and Purity Ring.