Genre isn’t a concern for Avec pas d’casque
Avec pas d’casque’s poetic songs occupy ‘a fuzzy zone’ between styles
Avec pas d’casque is a unique band — and that’s not all that surprising, given that it’s led by Stéphane Lafleur.
When not making dreamy, poetic, folky music with his helmetless band, Lafleur makes dreamy, poetic films like En terrains connus, Tu dors Nicole and Continental, un film sans fusil. They’re not the type of films that ring up huge box-office action, but they do attract interest from art-house film fans, critics and festival programmers all over the globe.
The musical side of Lafleur’s personality inhabits a similar artistic universe, with Avec pas d’casque’s songs exploring the subtle emotions of everyday life. That’s exactly what you get on their fourth album, Effets spéciaux, which was released Friday, Sept. 2.
It’s mostly slow, quiet music, though it shifts a little from the lo-fi, rootsy folk feel of their first recordings. In short, it’s hard to define.
“What I notice most with this album is that the music takes up more space than ever before,” Lafleur said in a recent interview alongside his bandmates in the back garden of the Plateau offices of their record company, Grosse Boîte.
The other members are Joël Vaudreuil on drums, Nicolas Moussette on lap steel and bass, and Mathieu Charbonneau on baritone horn and keyboards. Lafleur sings and plays guitar. He handles all the lyrics, with the four composing the music together.
“Before, it was the words that were up front and the music supported them,” said Lafleur. “Now they complete each other, and there are places where I stop singing and the music really comes to the fore, which is something that we maybe did less of before. It was an evolution.”
In other words, it’s further and further from the folky roots of Avec pas d’casque.
“We don’t know how to describe it anymore,” said Lafleur. “It’s like we’re in a bit of a fuzzy zone. It’s not country. It’s not folk. I think that when people think folk, they think of Joan Baez. It’s not rock. It’s not pop. I don’t know what it is. At one point, Joël said we were doing ‘le folk astronomique.’ That worked around the time of our album Astronomie (from 2012). Basically, there isn’t one label that really fits us. And that’s a good thing. But it’s frustrating, because people ask you what kind of music you play and you don’t know how to answer.”
The other thing that’s unique with Avec pas d’casque is Lafleur’s lyrics. Like his films, there is a poetic minimalism to his writing and, honestly, it’s maybe not for everyone. Some will find it too stark. Personally, I like the economy of words, the way Lafleur captures so much in such taciturn fashion.
Take Derviches tourneurs (Whirling Dervishes) on the new album. Lafleur has said the song was inspired by seeing the whirling dance performed while he was in Turkey. He felt the intense dance mirrored exactly what was going on in his head. But what’s cool about his lyrics is that you might never guess that was the meaning of the song if you didn’t read his explanation. They’re always open to interpretation.
“On this album, the lyrics are more pared down,” said Lafleur. “The lyrics are still kind of cryptic in the sense that you can interpret them in different ways, but maybe they’re a little closer to a direct style than before. I’m trying to say more with less words. To find the right words, to also let the music tell a story.”
Added Vaudreuil: “The poetic synthesis!”
Lafleur continues to be amazed by how people can see so many different things in his lyrics.
“People will interpret the songs on this album differently depending on their mood, depending on what glasses they’re wearing,” he said. “In the press release, it says this is our most ‘luminous’ album, and the first interview we did, the journalist said she didn’t think that was true at all. It really depends on your point of view. That’s one of the beauties of music: it accompanies you in different moments in your life and it can have different meanings for different people.”
I wondered aloud if Lafleur believes the album is luminous.
“It’s a relative light, in the sense that we have to admit we’re not the most peppy, upbeat group around,” said Lafleur. “I think that once you can name the darkness, a kind of light appears. I think that when you understand the shadows, things become more clear. We’re still in grey areas. It’s like you go to Canadian Tire looking for the grey shade of paint.”
AT A GLANCE
Effets spéciaux is out now. Avec pas d’casque performs Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. at Club Soda, 1225 St-Laurent Blvd., with Catherine Leduc, in the opening show of the 30th Coup de coeur francophone festival. Tickets cost $28.25 to $34.75. Call 514286-1010 or visit clubsoda.ca.