legion of love

Legion of Love is socially conscious rock, minus the angst-ridden frown of so much of today’s “message” music – it’s got attitude and positivity to spare. The biting sense of social injustice informing much of the material from LOL mastermind Brentwood is balanced by a simplicity of style and lyrical content that simultaneously lulls listeners into feeling good while reminding them that these are troubled times indeed.

In reaction to the turbulent state of world affairs today, Brentwood decided to re-record a couple of socially conscious songs written twenty years ago. Listeners consistently commented on the timely nature of the tunes, as though they were written yesterday – the more things change, the more they stay the same. Given this feedback, Brentwood felt it was time to take the message in his songs to the masses.

The end result? The recording debut from the Toronto-based collective Legion of Love: the double EPs Grey Matter Tunes and Matters Of The Heart.

“Hopefully there are a few songs in these recordings that get people thinking and most importantly, talking and acting”, says Brentwood.

The Legion of Love crew are all seasoned players from the Toronto scene. Their participation in the project was based on a shared feeling that it was time to contribute their respective talents to the cause of positive, compassionate music. The EPs were recorded in Toronto at B. Musique Productions and produced by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Bryant Didier. Performers on the recordings include singer /songwriter Rosita Stone, guitarist /vocalist Ron Bechard, keyboard player Igor Vrabac, and vocalists Dee Phyfer, Chantal Thompson, Rodney Clarke and Jennifer Noble.

The six songs on Grey Matter Tunes share a similar message but are sonically distinct, each one bringing it’s own unique flavour into the mix. Stylistically, they range from the guitar-based dance track "World In Motion" to the U2ish power ballad "Opportunity". The other tracks are: "Bullies With Guns", a hard rocker that addresses the tragedy of random violence; "I am I", a funky up-tempo tune about individuality in relationship to society as a whole; "Original", a progressive groove tune about embracing originality, and the debut single "Love Is The Answer”, a collision between Rage Against the Machine and We Are The World with a King Crimson bridge.

Matters Of The Heart focuses on the socially conscious themes underpinning love, relationships and sexuality. Each of the six songs looks at love from a different perspective. “Sweet Louise” is a sixties-flavoured rocker ala The Kinks, “Power Of Love” is reminiscent of Savage Garden with a very addictive chorus, “Favourite Girl”, is a catchy contemporary rock number, “Dancin’ For An Instant”’s sensual Latin flavour is the ideal soundtrack for romantic encounters, “Boys and Girls” is a quirky pop rumination on the battle of the sexes and “In Your Wildest Dreams” is an art-rock trance ballad about getting whacked by love out of the blue.

Call it same strokes from different folks – a diverse array of sounds unlike anything you’ve heard, but seeming surprisingly familiar. That’s the essence of Legion of Love’s music.

“While it is obvious songs alone will not change the world, it is also obvious the world could do with a little bit more love and affection.” - Brentwood