For decades, prog (short for progressive rock) has been relegated to dusty LP bins and hyphen-happy genre descriptors for acts with an interest in weird rhythms. There aren’t too many bands who proudly play prog anymore, and those that do tend to be regarded as retro-minded curiosities. Rest assured: Haken is no goof. Over the past few years the London six-piece has become one of the big names in modern prog, thanks to their hooky and ambitious brand of synthy space-rock. Haken’s April release, Affinity, is the band’s most accomplished yet, blending sky scraping melodies, metallic shredding, 21st century electro-pop, and a distinctly vintage vibe into something big, beautiful, and unabashedly flamboyant. BEN SALMON