Rachel’s Team Pick:

Real talk: this is Muppet Appreciation Central. No one gets Kermit like we do. We know which ones are gay. We like them even more than Tegan and Sara do. But you know who else gets the Muppets? The creators of “The Muppets: The Green Album.”

The Green Album, out August 23, sticks to songs written specifically for or performed by the Muppets, and culls from a deep catalog of fan favorites. OK Go kicks off the mix appropriately with a trippy, extended version of the Muppet Show theme song, the one that hails “the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational” show on earth. Weezer and Hayley Williams of Paramore trade verses in a wistful version of “Rainbow Connection.” Andrew Bird’s whistling and string arrangements reach well into the heart of “Bein’ Green.” And Rachael Yamagata‘s version of “I’m Going to Go Back There Some Day,” a song I’d long forgotten, brought tears to my eyes.

You can go hear it as an NPR First Listen right now, and you should — because if Rainbow Connection doesn’t break your heart every time, I don’t even want to talk to you.

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