I’d recommend reading this along with listening to the album, following it song by song. Bear in mind this is simply my interpretation.
Well, I’ve already written one of these on Haken’s most recent album Vector, so this marks the end of Haken month. Affinity, in my opinion, is the Haken album I find most difficult to pick apart. Similar to The Mountain there’s no story to follow, instead just a loose 80s sci-fi backdrop on which to talk about a range of topics centred around humanity. This time around, instead of focusing on the very real aspects of humanity, Affinity talks about ideas on a grander scale – what it means to be human, how we can find lasting peace and so on. Let’s get started with this album.
Initiate
We must be present and live in the moment. It’s important to focus on what’s important. When you look around you see war and pain, and it can be hard to understand why this is happening. It’s fascinating that human beings, given the choice, would kill each other instead of holding peace.
We need to stay strong through this pain and strive for a more meaningful existence. We shouldn’t let the turmoil that exists in the world stop us from living life to its fullest. We need to accept all the love and all the pain, and work our way through it with strong hearts.
1985
To many people it can feel as though we have no control over where our lives end up, as though our fates are planned for us. If it seems as though you have no control over your life, it’s easy to feel lost.
In the end, though, we need to realise that we do have control over our actions and where we end up in life. It’s important to let go of the fear of failure and step forward into the unknown. Realise there is no formula, and be okay with it. Through this, you will find yourself.
Lapse
It can be easy to drift through life. Each day we repeat the same actions, without even thinking. Many people feel as though they personally can’t do anything about larger worldwide issues, and so ignore what’s important.
This is dangerous. We must keep unity in sights at all times, and do all we can to work together and repair what’s been broken. How did this destruction of the world happen in the first place, and what can we do now to turn it around?
The Architect
The world as it is now, in many ways, is broken. This is of course our own fault. We’ve been apathetic about what’s important, and turned our backs on each other. Through this betrayal, Earth is failing.
It’s possible to blame this on a higher power. God is meant to help humanity and guide them, and instead has seemingly left us to fail. It’s easy to feel as though the higher power has no empathy. Perhaps it’s better to be rid of religion, and move forward as one race in unity as opposed to being split up by belief. This can be hard to let go of, but once you do it may bring a sense of freedom.
Earthrise
We must now realise that our past is filled with failure and loss of progress, and let our old ways go. This will free us to move forward as a race with more vigour than ever. We must strive to make progress we once thought impossible. This process may involve letting go of the belief of a higher power, and putting this power in the people of Earth.
Another life awaits humanity if we work together to reverse what’s been broken and begin to move beyond war, hate and destruction. This will be the beginning of a major revolution.
Red Giant
During this time of progress there will be times in which we lose focus, or feel as though it’s pointless to continue. However, this doesn’t mean the fight for progress needs to stop. No matter how hopeless it may seem, we must continue to strive for a better life as a race.
We must stay together in unity, even though it may at times seem as though our dream is fading. We will hinder ourselves along the way, but the fight must never stop.
The Endless Knot
It’s easy to be distracted by failure, and want to give up. We see destruction all around us, even through the fight for something better, and it can seem as though no progress is actually being made. We got ourselves to this point by ignoring the warning signs, and now we’re responsible for fixing it.
The sad truth is that in order for this fight for a better world to begin in the first place, it often takes a tragedy to unite us. It seems as though we can’t wake up ourselves, but instead need something truly terrible to happen before we begin fixing what we’ve broken.
Bound by Gravity
The most important thing to hold in your heart is hope. This is what will propel humanity forward into a better world. Our perspective on life needs to shift from self-focused and to living as one with everyone. We need to realise what’s wrong with humanity before a great tragedy occurs, and do something about it.
We must live as one, in love and hope. This will lead us to progress. It will lead us to affinity.
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For me this album is a continuation of The Mountain. That album discusses our individual lives, the trails that come with it and how to combat them, and Affinity discusses what comes after this – concentrating not on living individually, but as one with others. The Mountain is peace with oneself, and Affinity is peace on Earth.
– Kane
Prog Breakdown 