Our Favourite Albums of 2023 - CFMU Staff Picks

Now that 2024 has started, we can't help but look back at the music we loved the most in 2023. Join us for our top albums of 2023, and give them a listen too!

Blonde Redhead - Sit Down for Dinner

I only recently started listening to Blonde Redhead through their new album: “Sit Down for Dinner”. I was particularly enamored by Kazu Makino’s vocals, which where quite different than anything I’ve heard before. The band also experimented with different sounds and instruments, creating a sort of atmospheric shoegaze energy. The entire album is very intimate and transports you to a different world. I’ve had a few songs from the album on repeat lately, including “Melody Experiment” and “Before”. Overall, the unique and interesting sounds in this album are what make it my top album of 2023!

Jessie Ware - That! Feels! Good!

Picked by: Garima Sharma (Promotions Coordinator)

I initially fell in love with Jessie Ware and her 80s-esque pop and R&B style with the release of “What’s Your Pleasure?” during the peak of the pandemic. Those days of self-isolation were spent dancing alone in my room, with Jessie’s music my constant companion. Three years later, her latest album, “That! Feels! Good!“, is yet another homage to the sensual and playful sounds of 80s disco-pop. I also had the opportunity to see her perform live this year—a concert experience I’ll never forget! 

Squid - O Monolith

Picked by: Jamie Curvelo (Production Coordinator)

Squid's "O Monolith" continues to weave the bands eclectic sound, of a sort of noisy, math-rock-semblant, prog post-punk. This album delves further into their trade-marked frenzied urban narratives, but through a more refined and deliberate approach. O Monolith manages to vividly convey incredibly specific emotions and anxieties that are otherwise hard to describe in a unique and entrancing manner. Tracks range from chaotic to haunting to dance-y, and flow seamlessly creating an immersive one-of-a-kind album, surely to become a post-punk classic.

Peter Gabriel - i/o

Picked by: Jamie Tennant (Program Director)

Though I've heard "better" albums this year, this is my favourite hands down. I've been a fan for decades; Gabriel and his music hold a special place in my heart. He hasn't released new album in twenty years, and at 73, this is probably his last (hopefully not!). Oh yeah - and it's good, too. Thoughtful and philosophical, i/o is moody at times, jubilant at others, and the songs (as well as his voice) are solid. Few artists are still this good this far into their careers. 

Mother Tongues - Love In A Vicious Way

Picked by: Sharang Sharma (Community Outreach Coordinator)

I don't think I listened to any singular song the amount of times I listened through Toronto-based Mother Tongue's debut album, Love In A Vicious Way. Right from the absurdly catchy opening guitar riff from the opening song "A Heart Beating," the album captures you in its dreamy sound, leaving you feeling like you're floating amidst all its emotion. Each song just builds up from this feeling, creating a truly cohesive album. Getting to see the Mother Tongue's live only increased my love for this album. They're awesome and you should all give them a listen!

Plankton - Greatest Hits

Picked by: Derrick Chappel (Digital Media Specialist)

My album pick this year has to be the AI generated album Plankton - Greatest Hits. That's right, Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants has his own A.I generated album. With the recent breakout in A.I generated songs, these covers stood out to me because of how utterly hilarious they are. If you haven’t heard these covers yet you have to check out Plankton singing Beggin’. If you find this album as amusing as I did some other great singles to check out are his cover of Tool - The Pot, Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Man, and Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence. Who knew Plankton was destined to become a singer, instead of the failed owner of the Chum Bucket.