Designing the perfect room to enjoy your music when living in a flat

Whether the sheer orchestral beauty of Beethoven or the grungy kaleidoscope of psychedelic rock draws you in, cranking up the stereo and giving in to complete aural surrender is nothing short of bliss. If music doesn’t immortalise our memories, captivate our minds and souls, then what does? Music gives us that happy place we can escape to, whether it’s on the go or relaxing after a long day at work.

Sound and space

If you covet your sound system, you will most likely arrange your space to accommodate your musical passion. If you’re a musician or DJ, you’ll no doubt have your own room or corner studio set up. How can you construct the perfect musical space?

Many of us are fairly limited in our possibilities, partly because we tend to live in small accommodation. A massive stereo system will not have optimal sound in a small space because it requires specific physical measurements and characteristics to work acoustically. That isn’t to say you can’t soak up the modal goodness of the jazz greats, however. Wooden floors, panelled walls and limited objects and clutter allow better sound, but it’s also important to consider what happens on the exterior of the room as well.

If you’re living in a quiet neighbourhood – or even a noisy one – keeping your sound system contained is a courtesy you owe all your neighbours who may not share your affection for Adam Ant at 3 in the morning. Soundproofing is not only about being kind but also about getting to enjoy your greatest hits albums with peace of mind. Here’s what you need to do:

·       Make sure floors are well insulated. Carpets and thick underlay do an excellent job of absorbing sound. You can also purchase special acoustic sealant to use around floors and walls.

·       Walls can be soundproofed by cavity wall insulation, or for smaller budgets, blown mineral fibre insulation. You can also find soundproof panels to install directly on the walls.

·       Acoustic mineral wool, acoustic plasterboard and soundproofing mats can also be used to reduce “flanking noise” (the indirect path of sound waves which escape into nooks and crannies).

Windows are another big issue with soundproofing, and should also be sealed properly. Ideally, homes should be fitted with double-glazed windows, which also offer the added bonus of keeping the heat in during winter and saving on energy. When properly installed, sealed, and shut, with the help of solid shutters, sound will remain contained.

Comfort

Just as importantly, optimising your music experience also means setting up a layout that is comfortable and welcoming – a cosy seating area, storage for your CDs, vinyls, tapes, and other media as well as the entertainment system you’re using. There are all kinds of dynamic ways to rearrange a room – with a little incentive; you can bring into fruition your own little space you can escape to every day. Your ears and your neighbours will thank you.

Blur- Lonesome Street Lyrics

What do you got? 
Mass produced in somewhere hot 
You'll have to go on the Underground 
To get things done here 
And then you have [?] service done 
This is a place to come to, or, well, it was 
I know a hot spot 
Crossing on the guillotine 

[Chorus]And if you have nobody left to rely on 
I'll hold you in my arms and let you drift 
It's got to be that time again 
And you, you will be over soon again 

So get yourself up, get past on your way 
There's nothing to be ashamed of 
Taking off again 
The 514 to East Grinstead 
You've set me off
And talking types will let us down 
Talk, talk on your arse all night 
You wanna be there 

 [Bridge] Step inside the tarmac ride 
To the land that time forgot 
Oh, we're just gonna go there 
Cracks inside the tarmac ride 
To the land that crime forgot, oh no 

And if you have nobody left to rely on 
I'll hold you in my arms and let you drift 
Going down to Lonesome Street 
Going down to Lonesome Street 
Lonesome Street 
Going down to Lonesome Street 
Lonesome Street 
Going down to Lonesome Street 
Lonesome Street

Lonesome Street by Blur- Song Review

Rating:

Blur's new single Lonesome Street is another hit, not because it's the greatest song of all time, but because it manages to capture the essence of Blur's 90s sound and merge it with new tinges of their album 'The Magic Whip', due out in the middle of this year.

The song begins with a small tune from a keyboard, and launches into Dave Rowntree's signature repetitive drumming- energetic, simple and well, Blur-like. The drumming must be applauded in this song as it forms the baseline of the track. It gives the song a Brit-pop vibe, which will definitely make it different from other songs in the charts these days.

Some say Lonesome Street sounds like a mixture of an early Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett. Indeed this is true. This song could fit right into the early pop tracks, as Damon Albarn sings about "cracks inside the tarmac ride" , "crossing the street" to taking a train to East Grinstead.

Sounding somewhat like a track that could fit right into either "Leisure", "Modern Life is Rubbish" or The Great Escape, this track can fit right in somewhere between "Charmless Man" and "One Born Every Minute". Indeed it could even be a b-side to their earlier 90s albums, because it has the raw energy and touch to the tune.

The only criticism that one can give is that the song sounds slightly repetitive towards the end. Damon Albarn repeats "Lonesome Street" increasingly towards the end, and the lyrics are limited by this phrase. Even so, the song still gives us happy vibes because it does not disappoint.

Again, the release of this track preludes their eagerly awaited album, which should be even bigger, better and will not fail to impress fans.

Check out the lyrics for Lonesome Street and stay tune for more Blur updates, right here on our site.

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New Blur interview about their new album Magic Whip and 2015 tour

Listen to a new Blur interview featuring Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree talking about their new album The Magic Whip and its makings, and the role Graham Coxon played in shaping their new direction.

listen to ‘Blur: "Completely shared experience again"’ on audioBoom