I guess the best way to explain would be to describe why a “project” and an “album” are completely different for me by exposing what they are. For those who are familiar with TV series, an album is the main storyline while a project is more like a spin-off. And when it comes to music, I would say that an album is like Sonic Youth’s “Daydream Nation”. It’s Kim, Thurston, Lee, and Steve giving life to a body of work that represents a moment in time created by the 4 of them, while a project is what they were releasing on their own SYR label; noise, experimental, improbable collaborations. I hope it makes sense and that you are not more mixed up because of terminology now!