With this post, I now conclude my Top Thirteen Albums of 2013. Maybe, because earlier on I had invoked Black Sabbath, you were expecting me to nominate their album “13” for my #13 slot. (Melinda Selmys, after all, noted of their video for “God Is Dead?” that it is “the most Christian music video of the year.”) Well, if that is what you were expecting, then I have successfully faked you out. Because here is my twist ending…

In my final #13 slot, I give you, not heavy metal, but the pop perfection of:

Haim

I choose Haim’s pop masterpiece “Days Gone By” (which iTunes currently has on sale for a limited time) because I never want to become complacent as a citizen of the republic of Progarchy. Sure, we listen to prog because we are able to get, from prog, so much more than we usually get from the mainstream musical venues.

But sometimes the big record companies actually do get things right. (I mean, The Beatles weren’t so bad, were they?) So, it behooves Progarchy to recognize excellence wherever it may arise. (For me, that is the true spirit of prog. Devotion and dedication to excellence, in all forms. Which will, of course, take you in time towards all our favorite prog bands.)

Therefore, since this is the last day of the year, why not crank up “Days Are Gone” and send out the year on a happy note? There is nothing quite like genuine pop perfection, and anyone with a smile and a sweet tooth has got to love Haim.

2013 has been a great year for music! A big thank you to all my fellow Progarchists for sharing their musical experiences here, thereby expanding my own.

I’ll see you back here on New Year’s Day, when I will reveal the name of my fave EP from 2013 — since EPs do not count towards my Top Ten lists, which (in good prog fashion) I always dedicate to the recognition of the best contributions towards the keeping alive of The Art of the Album.