HAken

Haken's Top 5 of 2020 + Exclusive 'Affinity' & 'The Mountain' Color Vinyl Reissues


In honor of the two new exclusive vinyl variants in our store, Haken guitarist and keyboardist Richard Henshall listed his five favorite records of 2020 for us. It’s an eclectic list with jazz, rock, rap, and other bands that — like Haken — fall under the prog umbrella. Check it out below.

The vinyl we just added to store: a 2LP Silver variant gatefold (plus CD) of 2016’s Affinity, and a 2LP gatefold on Sky Blue (plus CD) of 2013’s The Mountain. Each is limited to 200 copies worldwide. Both are pictured below, and stay tuned for a deep dive into both albums coming from Langdon very soon. Meanwhile, you can also read Langdon’s review of Haken’s 2020 album Virus.


RICHARD HENSHALL’S TOP 5 OF 2020

Tigran HamasyanThe Call Within – I’m a huge fan of everything this polyrhythmic monster does! For me, this album lives snuggly somewhere between his masterpieces ‘Shadow Theater’ and ‘Mockroot’, and strikes a perfect balance between rich harmonies and ear splitting rhythms.

Jacob CollierDjesse Vol.3 – Collier really is a one of a kind musician who has such a strong affinity with music. In this 3rd offering of the Djesse saga, he really pushes the envelope in so many directions, which has arguably resulted in his most eclectic work to date.

Everything EverythingRe-animator – I love the way these guys effortlessly mix pop-centric ideas with an subtle progressive elements to create an entirely original sound. In my opinion, the fusion of their various influences on has never been more pronounced as it is on Re-animator.

DeftonesOhms – Listening to Deftones conjures up a nostalgic feeling in me and takes me back to the care-free days of my teens. Ohms thrives on the tension between the raw riffage and the ethereal vocals and feels like a return to the dense, heaviness that I’ve always loved about them.

Run The JewelsRTJ4 – I first saw these guys at Glastonbury Festival around 6 years ago and have been following them ever since. There’s a rawness to this record which feels like a stark reflection of the turbulent year we all went through in 2020.

That Run the Jewels record is also available — on pink vinyl — in our shop. The Haken records:

Haken - Affinity

Haken - The Mountain