Schausis “Buying a Pool”

The latest single from one man musical project Schaus, “Buying a Pool”, continues travelling the same eclectic path as earlier recordings. Scott Schaus’ writing and performance style encompasses a number of signature genre trademarks into a coherent whole without sounding discordant or forced and unsympathetic. Schaus’ skill manipulating an aural juggling act for listeners works thanks to his imaginative breadth and the willingness to explore limbs few others dare branching out on. There is a dark comic element defining the song’s lyrics though Schaus seldom delivers them in straight forward fashion. The heart of this song is electronic, guided by Schaus’ presence, and its lyrical content, but few songs grounded in electronic music cover as much ground as “Buying a Pool”. It is the latest release for a burgeoning project playing to larger and larger crowds as Schaus builds a reputation.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/schaus.music/

“Buying a Pool” is heavy on atmospherics and musicality. There’s an inherent drama present in how Schaus constructs the track and it sounds natural rather than pieced together one passage at a time. First time listeners to his music likely never suspect a single track can sustain the array of influences discerning listeners will hear in this single but the strands of modern pop, electronic music, dance, and R&B weave together in a tight and sensible way. The level of artistic clarity Schaus requires to pull this off is apparent – there’s no hesitation at all in how he ties these disparate thread together and it is an experiment one misstep can kill. Schaus makes no such missteps.

The vocals are likewise unusual. You can hear his singing as an exaggerated, sometimes near parody, approximation of traditional styles but others will think they are intense stylized takes on those same forms and demonstrate remarkable fidelity to capturing their spirit. He phrases the words in such a way they capitalize on the potential for such moments layered into the arrangement. The vocal melody is a fluid thing; sometimes it conforms closer to the movement of Schaus’ music and different moments when it complements the sonic mood rather than duplicating it. There is a judicious amount of post-production effects manipulating his voice, but the effect is never too much.

It isn’t an extended track and affords Schaus an ideal length to work out his music ideas. Schaus would never restrict himself in such a way it forced him to shoehorn his ideas into a tight frame but he has an unerring instinct for what the track needs and nothing more. “Buying a Pool” illustrates how much Schaus’ songwriting has deepened and evolved since debuting the project in 2017 and he has solidified those achievements in short order. It isn’t a stretch, however, to regard “Buying a Pool” as his best track yet, but still scratching the surface of Schaus’ capabilities. We can expect with confidence Schaus will soon match or surpass the quality of this performance and the impending 2020 release of his new album will open a new chapter in his blossoming career.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/0nUJrCv9zLom4EqLjFel8w

Michael Rand