Self-released

During his too-short life, songwriter Jay Bennett had a hard time catching a break. Though he was one-half of the songwriting duo that propelled Wilco to cult stardom, his then-partner Jeff Tweedy always shone a bit brighter, with Bennett taking a backseat until his departure from the band after Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in 2001 and his untimely death last year. “Kicking at the Perfumed Air” is proof that maybe he deserved more, though nothing’s as emotionally evocative as, say, Wilco’s “You and I,” there’s plenty to like here, from the rollicking “Second Last Call” to the pensive “When Heaven Held the World” to “Beer,” a silly song that’s also sad, given Bennett’s penchant for addiction. Bennett is the latest in a long line of rock dudes who didn’t quite make it in life, but who may find the success they’ve deserved beyond the grave.