Album: Matthew Herbert, The End of Silence (Accidental)

The challenge for Herbert, king of found sounds, is to make a record more interesting than just throwing open the window and listening.

The only way you could replicate The End of Silence that way would be by moving to Syria. Its three tracks feature a sample of a bomb falling on Libya, machine-gun bursts, crackles and, occasionally, bird song. It's tense, unsettling, and a brilliantly angry piece of art. It ends with sudden nothingness. You know what that means.