Mixtape: In My Room by Dan Svizeny
The highlights of lo-fi.
April’s mixtape comes courtesy of Dan Svizeny. Dan is an old pal, a fellow product of New Jersey, and a prolific—and thoughtful—creator.
He’s been releasing his signature buzzy lo-fi music for over a decade now under his own name and with his band Cough Cool. His work is consistently great and it’s earned him labelmates like Angel Olsen and Cloud Nothings. But Dan hasn’t just been writing music for over a decade, he’s been listening to music for over a decade, too. Probably for even longer than that if I had to guess.
Seriously, though, Dan is also one of those well-read people who just always seems to be into something you don’t know about, or thinking about something more interesting than whatever it is you’re thinking about right now (which is probably Instagram).
What I’m trying to say is: Dan is cool. He sets trends. He makes taste. He’s always working, seeking, creating. He thinks deeply about deep things. He has an angle and you want to hear what it is.
And now you can: Every Friday, Dan publishes Weekend Guide, a collection of pictures, music, and words that revolves around books, the people who read them, and the people who write them. It’s fun, light, considered and certainly worth a subscription and your attention.
For us, Dan is sharing a brand new mixtape that features the music he most identifies with, the music that most inspires him, and the music that invited him to play along: lo-fi bedroom rock.
Listen to In My Room and read our discussion below about lo-fi music, the pursuit of it, the weirdness that is Ween, and the mystery that is Bruce Springsteen.
Listen → In My Room by Dan Svizeny
Tracklist:
Echo, Bravo – Duster
Birthday Boy – Ween
Heavy Water/I’d Rather Be Sleeping – Grouper
Youth – Beach Fossils
Around The Old Neighbourhood – Mark McGuire
Girlfriend – Ty Segal
Pink Litmus Paper Shirt – R. Stevie Moore
Stormy Late Fall – Campfires
Rancher - Julian Lynch
Monorail – Tonstartssbandht
High Writer at Home – Lilys
You’re In It Now – Pure X
8am – Bona Dish
Bite Yr Tongue – Big Troubles
Time – Merchandise
Girl From New York – Belong
Black Rice – Women
GREEN BANANAS: Walk us through your mixtape!
DAN SVIZENY: I tried to go straight from the top of the dome with this one. Once I had the theme of “In My Room” I wrote down a list of bands that came to mind. All of these bands are ones who all feel homemade to me. I am sure not all of these songs were recorded on the floor of a bedroom, or in an unfinished basement. Surely some have a bit of studio shine on them, but not much. Not enough to fully clean them up. It's really easy to be led down a “fans also like” rabbit hole on Spotify, so I tried to steer clear of that. I have played out each and every one of these songs. Rewind, repeat, on pretty much all of these. I love a band that is good at the loud/quiet/loud dynamic. I think it keeps the listener on their toes, waiting for the drop. I tried to do a bit of this on the mix. Peaks and valleys. Such is life.
Life is also imperfect and unpolished—like a lot of lo-fi music. I think that intentional imperfection is what makes this style of music so fascinating. It demands to be judged on its own terms. Thought that’s also probably what can make it a little more inaccessible.
It requires a bit of active listening. Over time the fuzz/hiss normalizes, but you almost always need to peel a layer back to get to the melody.
Was there any specific inspiration for this mixtape?
I identify most with lo-fi music. It has always felt accessible. Something that I felt I could participate in, and try my hand at. My idea of lo-fi music has its roots in the bedroom. A lot if it was conceived late night, in a room, all alone. This is where I have historically been able to be my true self. And get creative. I prefer music that’s not super polished—sure, I love really great sounding stuff—but there is a warmth in imperfection that I crave.
The inspiration for this mix is being a teenager. Alone in your room. Brimming with creative energy. With nowhere to go.
As a listener, I sometimes think lo-fi music has a high barrier for entry. If you’re used to something more polished you could catch the wrong harsh note and it could turn you off the whole idea immediately. But I hadn’t considered that from your shoes—the songwriter’s shoes—it’s almost an invitation to participate. Hop on in, the water’s warm.
You know how people will call an artist like a “Musicians’ Musician” or a “Comedians’ Comedian”? Sometimes it feels like this sort of music is really only made for other musicians—or maybe it’s just that the only people who care for it are other musicians.
People who create music like this are not trying to make it. If they were, they wouldn’t be wasting their time laying on the floor, messing with loops and four tracks.
Okay, help me work something out—and I promise this is the last annoying question about the wider genre of lo-fi music. Lo-fi has a reputation for being discordant, but that’s not really fair or always true; a lot of lo-fi music is very harmonious. But something about lo-fi music does seem at odds with itself. It’s as if the artist is saying: “Here is my truest artistic expression, warts and all.” But then the production can sometimes end up so distorted that it’s hard to connect with. Maybe that in and of itself is the most discordant part of the lo-fi music. It can be equal parts frustrating and charming.
Totally agree with you there. In a way I think it’s an acknowledgement by the artist that perfection isn’t necessary. To oversimplify it, I've always thought that music has reached its apex. We’ve perfected the art form. We can’t make stuff sound any better than it already does.
We’ve got perfect songs, we’ve got perfect sounding records. I will never in my wildest dreams be able to play in the same league as stuff like that. Sure. Maybe it’s defeatist, but for me I find joy in the creation of songs. Other people hearing them is a bonus.
What is your favorite moment on this mixtape?
The opening blast of “Echo, Bravo” by Duster. I imagine being shot out into the darkness of space. But in slow motion. I love the tension build. It almost feels like the song is never going to start.
Which makes it the perfect opening track. You’re already on your toes from the start. I also love this as an opener because it contains arguably the most dissonant sounds on the whole mixtape. For the people who have trouble getting into the sound, this is kind of like ripping off the Band-Aid. From here, the mix spans several genres. It’s a great introduction to what lo-fi music can be while simultaneously avoiding the aforementioned “fans also like” issue.
Dive in. The waters warm!
When would you listen to this mix? What are you up to when you reach for this playlist?
Feeling nostalgic. Most of these songs were in heavy rotation when I was recording music every day.
I make a point to look to the past as little as possible. What’s done is done. But sometimes it’s fun to swim around in it for a bit. This playlist would help me jump in the pool.
I know what you mean. I’m terrible with time and dates, but hearing certain music will instantly take me back in time to an old apartment, road trip, relationship. Old playlists can be nostalgia traps, so thank you for risking falling into one while making this for us. Do you have strong sense memories tied to music?
Very much so. I have a tendency to fall hard for songs. When something is hitting me, I'll listen to it on repeat for days. Spotify told me that sometime last year I listened to Art Garfunkel’s “Break Away” 80 or so times in a row. This is sicko behavior. But, the downstream effect of that is an almost uncanny ability to mark time and relationships with songs/albums. I don’t actually know if this is a good thing.
I do the same thing. And then I’ll end up building a mixtape around it as a sort of scaffolding to keep the song thriving. With the right momentum the song just sort of starts to graft onto other songs and moments of life and then lives forever. So what was the first song you added to this mix?
“Birthday Boy” by Ween. Ween has been my favorite band since high school. When I was 15 I moved to New Hope, PA. I had no idea that New Hope was Ween headquarters. They were idolized by every boy in town. We would get high and go looking for Joppa Road. It's safe to say that they changed my life.
Dare I say it: you were weaned on Ween. I’ve never clicked with Ween. I think I’ve just never had the right jumping off point (though this mixtape might be changing that). But in my defense: Ween is objectively weird as hell. Is that fair to say? And I genuinely do not mean that in a derogatory way.
100% fair to say. Ween is truly weird as hell. It may be the only way to describe them. It’s funny because early in their career (teenagers) I am sure their intention was not to be weird—they were just sort of constrained by their own limitations. They were really just imitating what they loved (Prince, Parliament, Beatles), but when you are 17, high, and are just finding your feet with your instrument. It all comes out pretty warped.
As they progressed and gained more notoriety, I think they leaned a bit into the weird, because it started to pay. They would still zig and zag all over the place stylistically—releasing a country album, making a song for the SpongeBob movie—but somewhere along the way they became a really good rock band. I would actually argue that they are the last great rock band.
If this mix introduces someone to Ween, what Ween music should they check out next?
If I had to narrow it down to an album it would be Chocolate & Cheese. It is likely their most popular record, released during the height of their commercial powers. There is even a Spike Jonze directed video for “Freedom of ‘76”—their ode to Philadelphia.
Not to go full inception here, but a few years back I had a friend pose the “where should I start with Ween” question to me. I pulled a one hour, chronological playlist together of what I believe to be the essence of Ween. It’s as good a starting point as you will ever get.
Another avenue would be through the soft stuff. ”Sarah” is my favorite song of all time. It could easily be a cut from The White Album. ”Wash Me Down” is also a beautiful song that if you don’t like, well, wow.
Does Ween sound just a little bit better when you listen to them in New Hope? I feel this way about Springsteen. I can enjoy his music pretty much anywhere, but the music cuts just a little deeper if I’m driving through Freehold at the time. I’ve listened to The Beach Boys my whole life, but their music just sort of reaches a new height when driving on the westside of Los Angeles in the summer.
Sure does. It sort of makes a bit more sense. The Ween guys still live around New Hope, so I try not to listen to Ween in the car driving around. I would be mortified if I made eye contact with Mickey while listening to Ween. I don’t know what this says about me. Just being honest.
Imagine being at a stoplight in Red Bank. You’ve got “Adam Raised A Cain” at 11. You turn your head and there is Bruce. Right outside your window on his Motorcycle. Buzzed on Tequila. What do you do?!
Eleven is the only acceptable volume at which one should listen to “Adam Raised A Cain.” I think he’d rev the engine, give you a knowing glance, and then tear off down the highway and into the Pine Barrens. But speaking of Bruce, I wanted to get your thoughts on Nebraska. The entire album was recorded on cassette in his Colts Neck, NJ bedroom with a four-track recorder. Where does this work fit into the modern mosaic of lo-fi music and where does it fit into your appreciation for The Boss?
Nebraska is a whole other dimension. Truth be told I have no idea where I would slate this within the mosaic of lo-fi music. Mainly because it is still so Bruce. It’s hard to position him in a world where lo-fi music even exists. Let alone compare it to an artist conceived within the confines of lo-fi.
On Nebraska Bruce is definitely trying something else on. I know that during this period he was listening to a lot of Suicide, which makes sense but I cannot imagine Bruce listening to Suicide. Either way, I love it.
When I first started really getting into Nebraska it shifted my view of Bruce. I went from sort of loving him in the shadows, to loving him way out in the open. It gave him immediate cool points that I could cash in during a conversation with a Bruce basher or fellow lo-fi enthusiast.
*Bruce actually covered “Dream Baby Dream” recently which was odd. But cool. And VERY Bruce.
Let’s go to the other end of the spectrum. What’s one of your favorite immaculately produced studio recordings?
Whenever I think studio sound I think of Phil Spector. “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes is most likely the greatest song of all time. The ‘Wall of Sound’ studio approach is the greatest thing to ever come out of a recording studio.
Obviously a lot of lo-fi music is now recorded through digital means, but there is a strong association with lo-fi and analog cultures. This is called a “mixtape club” because the mixes are intended to be thoughtful and carefully curated like the cassette mixtapes of old, but it ultimately is a completely digital endeavor. Were you a big mixtape maker in your time?
Once I had the ability to put MP3s I had downloaded onto a CDR, it was a daily pursuit. For me, sequencing was never super important. I always tried to make a mix that had no “skippable tracks”.
Speaking of analog pursuits, you have a weekly newsletter on books called Weekend Guide. You also read and collect hard copies of the books you love. How do you balance analog life with digital life? And how does that impact your consumption of music?
I am pretty analog. Most of the downtime I have is spent reading. I have done the whole meditation thing, but I find that I get the same results from sitting down and reading for thirty minutes. I am a nut and I like to keep every book I finish. My dream is to one day live amongst floor to ceiling books.
Sure. I have a vinyl collection. Collecting and having records is not all that important to me. I have just always had a record player. Ever since I was pretty small, I had my Dad’s records, and would play them in my room.
Recently I went into Princeton Record Exchange. I was all hyped up to spend some money, but I was just not as excited as I used to be going in there when I was buying CDs. I can’t explain it.
My music consumption is almost entirely via Spotify.
Long live Princeton Record Exchange! I haven’t been there in probably 15 years. But going there in high school was a truly thrilling experience. It was like going to New York City or something. I don’t know if you felt the same way, but maybe it can just never live up to those memories.
Some things are better left imagined. Don’t get me wrong. The halls of Princeton Record Exchange are hallowed. It’s just not intimidating anymore.
I remember Daniel from Home Blitz used to work there, and I was a big fan. It was like seeing a celebrity. Looking back on it, no one ever knew who the fuck Daniel from Home Blitz was.
Once after my first record Lately was released on vinyl I checked, just for fun, to see if they had it. They did and I almost cried.
I love that you titled this mixtape In My Room. It can’t not make me think of the Beach Boys song, which is fitting not only because that song is about finding comfort and belonging—and being able to cry—in one’s room, but because the guy who wrote it, Brian Wilson, is responsible for some of the most exquisitely produced songs ever recorded. Did any of that cross your mind when you landed on this name?
It could have also been titled “In The Garage” after my favorite Weezer song—but I digress. Yes. I definitely went through my Beach Boys phase. I honestly didn’t think of them while pulling this together. When I think about brooding solo musical pursuits, Brian Wilson surely comes to mind—but I feel like his room was filled with very nice recording equipment.
I took an electronic music class in college. It was basically an intro to Pro Tools, and I remember sampling and looping and splicing together bits and pieces “Caroline, No”—I thought I was really on one—but the teacher actually thought I was not a loser. Somehow. Also, one of the first songs I covered live in front of people was “Girl Don’t Tell Me”. So yes. I love the Beach Boys.
You mean, “Girl Don’t Tell Me,” the little known proto-Shins acoustic Beach Boys classic? Now we’re really talking music. But while we’re on cover songs, last year you released a lo-fi cover of “Santa Monica” by Everclear. First, it’s a fantastic cover. Second, I love that you picked that specific song because it’s produced so clearly and cleanly—it’s great to hear it in a different frequency. My question is what song will you cover next? And my strong suggestion is that it should be “Dancing In The Dark”.
I was thinking of covering “Love you Down” by Ready For The World. Slow songs are easier for me to cover. I’m setting myself up for failure if I try any Bruce. Punching a bit above my weight.
Okay, “Love You Down” has aged impeccably and obviously I’d love to hear that, but don’t sell yourself short. “Dancing In The Dark” is big, but it’s also pretty straightforward. I know it’s been covered a lot, but I like this idea because I think that song is overshadowed and arguably defined by its cheesy production. I would love to hear your take on it over on the other side of the sonic spectrum. So… will you at least think about it?
For you, anything! I will need to ask Jon (my brother in Cough Cool) if he can learn the chords.
Great. Obviously, I’ll be taking a producer credit here, but our lawyers can iron out the details at a later date. Dan, this has been a pleasure. Where can people check you out?
Loved it! You can subscribe to Weekend Guide. I will be releasing new music there, as well as a poetry collection in the next few months. If you are more into music you can find mostly everything I have ever released on the streaming platforms. Cough Cool for the band and Dan Svizeny for the solo. Peace and love!
Big thanks to Dan for going deep on this one. If you need more lo-fi in your life, check out Dan’s music. And if you need some more Dan in your life, let him guide you through the weekend. You won’t regret it. This mixtape is proof of concept. The more I listen to In My Room, the more I fall into it. Maybe it’s because we’ve all been spending so much time in our rooms lately.
Alright, that’s all for now you little gems. Click that subscribe button so you don’t miss the next one. We’ll be back in May with another mixtape. Big things coming in May. Big things.
Stay safe. Stay sane.