Musically, Avec pas d’casque doesn’t reinvent anything. We’re smack-dab into classic indie folk country, with the melancholy melodies, relaxed guitar/ukulele picking, wailing lap steel and decorative drumming you expect, plus occasional flourishes of baryton, horns, autoharp and whatnot. Solid stuff, but nothing to write home about. What truly makes these songs soar is the genius (yes, genius) of Stéphane Lafleur’s lyrics. A gifted storyteller and portraitist, the singer-songwriter, who also moonlights as a filmmaker (En terrain connus, Continental), consistently drops pearls of deadpan humour and ramshackle poetry. "Tu reviendras chargée d’étoiles / la nuit posée sur tes épaules / et l’univers pris dans tes cheveux…"