Finding equilibrium between the atmospheric experiments of post-rock groups such as Sigur Rós and Godspeed You Black Emperor! and the sharply produced melodic pop crafted by Coldplay and Keane, the Buffalo, NY quintet This Day and Age fuses both worlds through strong pop-song hooks that amplify each side of its sound. The band originated in 2001 in Tonawanda, a suburb of Buffalo, with singer-guitarist Jeffrey Martin, guitarist Mike Carroll, keyboardist Kelly Sciandra, bassist Kenneth Cambell, and drummer Steve Padin comprising the original roster. After inking a deal in 2002 with One Eleven Records—an emo-focused independent label operating under a Warner Brothers distribution agreement—the group issued its first full-length, Always Leave the Ground, in September 2004. Joey Secchiaroli soon took over bass duties from Cambell, and the revised lineup delivered its follow-up, The Bell and the Hammer, in August 2006 to favorable notices. Martin exited the group two months afterward, prompting This Day and Age to enter an “indefinite hiatus,” though the remaining members kept performing together under another name.
