Tchaikowski is Swiss-born of Polish-Irish descent, and her debut album has been produced by Mike Hedges of U2, Manic Street Preachers and Cure fame. Although the end product bears no resemblance to those acts, it’s still a hugely intriguing collection of evocative songs topped off with Tchaikowski’s lustrous voice.
Those Thousand Seas is clearly pitched at fans of moody mainstream pop – in particular, comparisons with Dido aren’t a million miles off the mark. Nearly all the songs were at least partly written by Tchaikowski and there’s a warm Celtic aura to the ethereal title track, with Tchaikowski’s delicate double-tracked vocals taking over where Clannad left off. ‘Undone’, bedecked with sonorous cellos and a thumping beat, echoes Dolores O’Riordan, as Tchaikowski’s voice slips into falsetto mode, and ‘My Day’ floats so breezily you’re happy to go wherever she takes you.
There’s a more urgent, contemporary feel to ‘Mothered Sons’. Tchaikowski’s softly engaging voice brims with conviction and emotion, while the more upbeat ‘In Your Arms’ is bathed in synths. The up-tempo ‘Dance Around’ merges Celtic sonics with the hookiness of Abba, while ‘Angel’ is as creamy-smooth as caramel.
For Mike Hedges, this is a long way from Siouxsie and the Banshees, Marc Almond and A House. But he may well have a hit on his hands...
JACKIE HAYDEN
KEY TRACK: ‘UNDONE’