In case you missed it, Jay Bennett passed away just over a year ago. His foundation website, The Jay Bennett Foundation was launched recently to commemorate the one-year anniversary of his accidental overdose. As stated on the site, “Although Jay is probably best known for his work in Wilco, he was also a very sought-after producer, collaborator, and solo artist…”. “Best known” seems like a bit of a stretch to describe Bennett, but perhaps his name was made recognizable via Wilco. However, with the release of Kicking At The Perfumed Air on July 10 through Rockproper.com (as a free digital download with an optional charitable donation feature), all that is about to change.

Available immediately are two selected tracks from the posthumous album, “Twice a Year” and “M Plates”. Both possess raw vocals, but with an almost symphonic instrumental sound that seems very well-produced, it doesn't seem believable that he began recording the album in 2004 with minimal technology. Bob Dylan meets Kings of Convenience on these tracks, but surprisingly, the contradiction works somehow.

The Jay Bennett Foundation also states: “While this is a posthumous release, this is the album Jay intended to make. This is Jay’s vision of the album — its recording, its sequencing, its entire package.” The beginning of that statement seems rather trite; generally, posthumous releases are said to be exactly what the fallen musician would have wanted. Like the music world is attempting to make up for slandering all those tracks so they could make more money? In all honesty, if you want to release music you truly stand behind, you are probably better off recording it, leaving some production notes behind, and dying. Well, maybe not dying, but, sadly enough, in the case of Bennett, it works.

One cannot deny the Elliott Smith parallel going on in these songs, as well. Both Bennett and Smith were in the process of a sixth solo studio album when each died. Smith’s From a Basement on the Hill was released two days shy of the one-year anniversary of his own death. Bennett’s sixth solo album will be released in the immediate future. We must ask ourselves: Is there another posthumous release in the years to come containing unreleased, lost, and forgotten tracks from throughout his career, a Jay Bennett’s New Moon?

From a blog post shortly following his death, it was revealed that Pay It Forward was one of Bennett’s favorite movies. If The Jay Bennett Foundation is favor one, Kicking At The Perfumed Air is favor two, then what grand finale is favor three?

We would suggest you download Kicking At The Perfumed Air on July 10, and at least consider donating whatever you can, in an effort to support music and education. Because although "free" things are great, doing great things is even better.