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Microdisney: Crooked Mile (Virgin)

Laura Fissinger, Rolling Stone, 2 July 1987

THE MUSIC on Crooked Mile is a marvelous cross-genre mutant: lazy tempos and teary guitars from country music, Elvis Costello-esque chord progressions and lead vocals, Merseybeat melodies, Irish and American folk nuances and occasional wafts of Crosby, Stills and Nash harmonies. Microdisney's two songsmiths, Cathal Coughlan and Sean O'Hagan (working with producer Lenny Kaye), have conjured up a hybrid that seems new. It might even be marketable to boot. Up close, the instrumental and compositional intricacy of this American major-label debut is obvious, but from a distance it can pass for high-quality radio pop.

Total word count of piece: 300

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