This Day and Age hail from Buffalo, NY and have been around since 2001. After quietly releasing their debut full length "Start Over On Monday" in 2002, this four-piece has emerged with their sophomore release, "...Always Leave the Ground." In a music world drenched with stale faux pop bands This Day and Age has silently found themselves somewhat ahead of their peers. I say silent because I had not heard anything about this band until I received the promotional copy in the mail over a month ago.
"...Always Leave the Ground" has been a pleasant surprise. There is nothing earth shattering about the music, it is simple, at times keyboard driven, melodic rock. The opening track "Sometimes" clocks in at just over a minute with the drums and keyboards playing the imperative role over the vocals, while "Hourglass" is a more of a guitar driven track. "Second Place Victory" uses predominantly keyboards and even the use of a drum loop to set the tone for what is easily the best song on the album and I really enjoyed this song. "History Is Falling For Science" and "The Day We Started" are both mediocre mid-tempo pop rock songs; "We Always Rewind The Best Part" finds This Day and Age harkening back to drum loops and the keyboard dominant genius found on "Second Place Victory" but unfortunately it falls a bit short. The album closer, "A New Focus" finishes "...Always Leave the Ground" on a strong note, once again relying on the piano to be the focal point of the instrumentation over the drums and vocals. The vocals of Jeff Martin can sound eerily similar at times to Jon Foreman of Switchfoot but they are still strong.
"...Always Leave the Ground" is an interesting sophomore effort. The ballads really shine and have a feeling that you are genuinely getting a glimpse into the hopes and struggles of one's life. Some of the faster or mid tempo guitar driven tracks can get a tad generic while others like "Clouds and Skyscrapers" are more than memorable. This Day and Age still has room for growth, but "...Always Leave the Ground" is a step in the right direction.
2.5/4
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