This 40 will not be short. Click here for the playlist, and feel free to recommend albums for the next checks notes twelve weeks?!? Damn, this has been going for that long? Wow.

September 30th: Shut Up, Dude by Das Racist

What if I told you I was at the Pizza Hut? What if I then told you I was at the Taco Bell? You'd say, "How can you be in both places at once?" And then, the epiphany: "I'm at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell." This album definitely feels what it is: a string of nigh-incomprehensible stoner in-jokes. The beats are loose and fun, and the MCs don't take themselves remotely seriously. The lyrics are a THC fueled free-associative deluge of references and concepts, with topics ranging from inane ("Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell") to genuinely kind of prescient ("Shorty Said"). The members were all involved in progressive causes, which doesn't surprise me; speak to any left-winger worth their salt, they will have a deeply fucked sense of humor. I should know. My favorite track was "Nutmeg."

October 1st: Poor Man's Poison by Poor Man's Poison

No, it's not the one with "Hell's Coming With Me." It's still good, though. Poor Man's Poison are proof that you can have all of the instruments of a bluegrass band and not necessarily be a bluegrass band. Unlike the Chris Thile bands that I've been listening to in this project, this is more rooted in a folk rock sound, like the Builders and the Butchers that I listened to a few weeks ago. It's a very engaging and high energy sound, and one that I like a lot. "A Foot Lost" was my favorite.

October 2nd: Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars by Edie Brickell and New Bohemians

What I am is what I am, and what I am is a fan of this album. People have termed this the 80s prediction of 90s alternative rock, and I can totally hear that, but more in the college rock side, with the mainstream breakthrough of R.E.M. and acts like the Gin Blossoms, Blues Traveller, and Sister Hazel. I love this college-rock sound, where everything has a bit more bite but just as much sweetness to it. And that's to say nothing of Edie Brickell herself. My favorite song is "Love Like We Do."

October 3rd: Pure Comedy by Father John Misty

On his third album, Misty takes up the high-concept nature to its highest point: a concept record about the absurd nature of human existence, the profound irony of us flawed creatures. Also this album's sound is beautiful. It's orchestral pop with those Fleet Foxes-y harmonies and lyrics about VR sex with Taylor Swift, and the contrast of the two is a really affecting combination. Sure, it's a little slower in the back half, but these are still Father John Misty songs, and there's only so much you can dislike a Father John Misty song. My favorite is "Ballad of the Dying Man."

October 4th: Tea for the Tillerman by Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam/Yusuf Stevens

Various internet algorithms seemed to think I would like this album, since I like a number of other folk artists from the 60s and 70s. I only knew and disliked "Fathers and Sons" and "Wild World," and I am sorry to say that this album did not sway me into the Yusuf Cat Stevens Islam camp. It's not a completely terrible album, and he's not the worst songwriter in the world (although I do dislike "Wild World" on a songwriting level), but what I can't get behind is the performance. He doesn't sound sincere, and also like there's a lot of mucus in his throat. It's not a pleasant sound, and he doesn't convince me of the emotions in these songs. Personally, if I want this kind of thing, I'll go to Neil Young, or Joni Mitchell, or James Taylor. I chose "Miles from Nowhere" from this playlist because it's one of two songs from this record that I wouldn't mind hearing again.

October 5th: Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors

I sense a binge-listen coming on. I only knew one Dirty Projectors song before this, and it was "Swing Lo Magellan," but now I want to know everything about this band. There's progressive rock noodling, huge indie power chords, beautiful harmonizing from David Longstreth and Angel Deradoorian, and very dense compositions. This sounds kind of like... something, but I can't place what. I keep wanting to say Unknown Mortal Orchestra, but that's not quite it. Maybe I just think that because they covered "Swing Lo Magellan" one time. I really like this, and I want to explore this band more. "Useful Chamber" is my favorite.

October 6th: LP1 by FKA Twigs

This album was stuck with the label of "Alternative R&B" when it came out, and Twigs didn't like that label because she saw it as purely based on her race. I'm really not sure where the lines between genres are anymore, but I can safely say that I'm saddened by this continued perception of a racial divide in music. But I digress; this album is great. You have this sleek, spotless production, blending sounds from everywhere in a way that still feels cohesive, and Twigs is an infectious presence. I've heard her style described as a "Fragile bombast," which I didn't understand before, but I do now. She's vulnerable, but at the same time in control. Also, these songs are most likely about Robert Pattinson? Wow. "Pendulum" is my favorite.

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