Afro Yaqui Music Collective release Maroon Futures via Neuma Records. The collective came together in response to the rapidly changing political climate, in which working immigrant communities have come under attack, and climate change has threatened people across the world. As part of the band’s mission, their work develops dialogue with activists across the world. They have performed and worked with social movement leaders in Iraqi Kurdistan, Mayan and Yaqui communities in Mexico, and Tanzania...

While their ethos and general message should be applauded, Afro Yaqui Music Collective, at the end of the day is a band. It's all well and good tackling important issues, but it's how good the music is that really matters - in much the same way that Christian rock bands are generally sneered at by the non-religious.

In all honest, with brief exceptions, Maroon Future is not the sort of album I'd normally opt to listen to for pleasure. What they're doing is commendable, but stylistically their music is a little too broad.

That said, I am totally behind their drive to get behind the power of the arts in a bid to unite communities to build a movement to encompass all. This also mean that the music is going to be radically different from track to track.

At its core this is a diverse jazz album with a lot of power and drive... but whether or not you enjoy the music is a very individual thing. Personally I just love their ethos and find the music raw and powerful.

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Nick Smithson