SF Bay Guardian  8 Days a Week Ray of life "Once a music major in Brittany, France, Helene Renaut now leads the Bay Area-based baroque pop band Beam. Their sound often recalls the broodingly ornate songs of Love's Arthur Lee spiced with just a little dash of Revolver-era John Lennon..."more

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indieworkshop.com " ...if you were to blend that old, smoky jazz with loose, psychedelic folk then Beam would magically appear before you..." more

Sonorika.com (Italy) "Parlare di Beam, il primo album dell'omonima band che fa capo a Helene Renaut, è un problema di perimetri - quelli del tempo e dei sensi dinamici - come succede ogni volta che si ha a che fare con qualcosa che è anche una rivisitazione di qualcos'altro. In questo caso degli ultimi '60..." more

Shindig! Magazine (GB) "...This is a modern take on the largely acoustic, jazz/folk records that Vanguard records used to put out. Helene's songs have a quiet, dreamy feel to them. A typical Beam song goes at a slow, restrained pace. There is a subtle, jazzy ambience, due to the vocal phrasing and the sparing use of violas, trumpets, piano and vibes to add little flourishes to the largely acoustic songs..." more

All Music Guide "Beam is a vehicle for the lovely songs and voice of Helene Renaut. She's very French, but has been living in the San Francisco area for a while. She possesses a sweet, lilting voice that has the habit of staying within arm's reach of pitch, which is quite unique for a French female pop singer. The songs she has written for this debut record are pastoral beauties that call to mind Donovan, early Joni Mitchell, Hope Sandoval..."more

Exclaim! (Canada) "With a sound best described as Belle & Sebastian meets Stereolab with heavy doses of Joni Mitchell and Donovan thrown in for good measure, Beam is first and foremost a vessel for the beautiful French drawl of singer-songwriter Helene Renaut..." more