If you have an hour to read, check out Steven Connor's article on human perception of noises. In the article, Professor Connor (London University in Birkbeck) concisely reveals his insights on our perception/cognition of modern noises and their ubiquitous presence in our daily lives. This article was originally aired as a mini-series program on BBC Radio (Feb 24 - 28, 1997) and you can check out more of his essays on sound/music/voice here.

Official Site: Steven Connor, Professor of Modern Literature & Theory