Beaumont

Beaumont's pristine yet delicate sound originated in the whimsical pop crafted by Blueboy, the Reading, England group once signed to the storied Sarah Records label. Keith Girdler handled vocals while Paul Stewart covered guitars, bass, drums, percussion, and keyboards; the pair launched Blueboy in the early '90s after Feverfew dissolved. Across that decade Blueboy issued three albums—If Wishes Were Horses, Unisex, and The Bank of England—that drew glowing notices and a devoted following. The band dissolved in 1998. Girdler and Stewart reconvened as Arabesque, releasing the atmospheric This Is...Beaumont in 2000 under the Beaumont name. Joining them were Lorraine Carrol on vocals, Dick Preece on keyboards, Leigh Saunders on trumpet and keyboards, and two former Blueboy members, Martin Rose on drums and percussion plus Cath Close on vocals. Beaumont moved into jazz and Baroque forms. Echoing Belle and Sebastian, This Is...Beaumont paired wistful adolescent poetry with hushed, meticulously shaped songs.