In exactly the same manner as Low's One More Reason to Forget, but much more comprehensively, Ida's limited-run live album defines the beauty of a pensive act; each less-than-perfect recording, uniquely off-kilter, plays like the caught gaze of a crush held from across the room.

Considering its inauspicious peer group-- small-run, one-off records by established acts-- and its face value as tour merchandise, this disc delivers on so many levels that it obliterates the need for much in the way of critical debate. First and foremost, the songs are gorgeous. From their tentative beginnings, Ida have offered unassuming ballads without a hint of the coy whispering and shirking stage poses struck by so many pretenders these days.

Although Ida's material shines on this scratchy presentation, the initial promotional focus was on the cover songs, which comprise almost half the disc. We could hide behind the fact that there are only 2,000 copies of this disc, but fair is fair, and I don't think a band as young and small as this is in any position to translate Prince or Brian Eno for us. Of course, if there's an outlet for indulgence, a limited tour disc is certainly it, and the band did their homework as far as the covers go-- they're well executed and respectful of their original artists. The problem, critically speaking, is that Ida's own material is so well-suited to this lo-fi format that these covers partially derail the potential cohesiveness of the record.

It's generally known that Ida have a fantastic sense of humor in concert, and their studio records don't usually attest to how fun one of their shows can be. "Uptown," Ida's second Prince cover, is done straight-faced. And if their version of "Dirty Mind" is a tad flat, this, along with their rendition of Sir Douglas Quartet's "Mendocino," is everything a divergent cover should be. "Golden Hours" is great, all things considered-- the weight of Eno's status is diffused by an honest introduction retelling the band's connection to the piece.

If anything negative could be said, this album makes their studio recordings look somehow less impressive-- stripped of studio perfection, the details somehow define themselves on these one-microphone bootleg-style recordings. Dan Littleton and Elizabeth Mitchell's lilting harmonies almost seem to stop time when aided by back-of-the-room acoustics during the overcast sunrises of "Backburner" and "Honeyslide."

Probably thanks to their work with folks like Low and His Name is Alive's Warn Defever, Ida plan to release more recordings of their concerts starting later this year. If this live full-length is any indication, they're going to need more than 2,000 copies.

-Chris Ott