Recorded across Europe during September and October of 2004, Live! Thirty Days Ago is a concise run through the best songs from United and Alphabetical. What's so attractive and unique about Phoenix's studio records -- the slick, soft, easygoing pop songs full of charm, with love for subdued Todd Rundgren and Boz Scaggs' Silk Degrees (!) -- doesn't translate so well on-stage. While some songs are played straight, others are negatively affected by guitars that are too empowered by amplification. None of the grunting and posturing goes over well, unless you've always wished that the band would sound more like Third Eye Blind (or maybe even the Spin Doctors).