1. DELTA BLUES – Jetstream (1)
2. SUPERPOSITION – Young the Giant (3)
3. SUNFLOWER – Post Malone & Swae Lee (4)
4. IN THE WATER – The Underground Vault (2)
5. LOVE IT IF WE MADE IT – The 1975 (7)
6. NORTHERN LIGHTS – Death Cab for Cutie (8)
7. CHANGE – The Revivalists (9)
8. POWER OVER ME – Dermot Kennedy (10)
9. S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun) – The Glorious Sons (13)
10. SIGUE CON EL AMOR – John Defeo (12)
11. WANDER – Vox Eagle with Pierre Fontaine (5)
12. VOLCANO – Feather Weight (14)
13. TRAMPOLINE – SHAED (15)
14. READY TO LET GO – Cage the Elephant (19)
15. HOME – morgxn featuring WALK THE MOON (16)
16. PRESSURE – Muse (6)
17. MOVEMENT – Hozier (20)
18. LONGSHOT – Catfish and the Bottlemen (21)
19. DISAPPEAR – Western Jaguar (22)
20. ASSUME FORM – James Blake (25)
21. EXITS – Foals (23)
22. APOCALIPSTICK – Lazy Queen (11)
23. YOU’RE THE ONE – Greta Van Fleet (24)
24. SALVATION – The Strumbellas (26)
25. SECRET THAT LIES BEHIND – The Gear (29)
26. CHLORINE – twenty one pilots (30)
27. HIGH HOPES – Panic! At the Disco (17)
28. HARMONY HALL – Vampire Weekend (N)
29. FEAR THE FUTURE – IAMWARFACE (N)
30. DARK PLACES – The Frontier (N)
1. DELTA BLUES – Jetstream (2)
2. IN THE WATER – The Underground Vault (1)
3. SUPERPOSITION – Young the Giant (5)
4. SUNFLOWER – Post Malone & Swae Lee (4)
5. WANDER – Vox Eagle with Pierre Fontaine (3)
6. PRESSURE – Muse (7)
7. LOVE IT IF WE MADE IT – The 1975 (8)
8. NORTHERN LIGHTS – Death Cab for Cutie (9)
9. CHANGE – The Revivalists (10)
10. POWER OVER ME – Dermot Kennedy (13)
11. APOCALIPSTICK – Lazy Queen (6)
12. SIGUE CON EL AMOR – John Defeo (14)
13. S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun) – The Glorious Sons (15)
14. VOLCANO – Feather Weight (16)
15. TRAMPOLINE – SHAED (20)
16. HOME – morgxn featuring WALK THE MOON (19)
17. HIGH HOPES – Panic! At the Disco (11)
18. FAST TALK – Houses (12)
19. READY TO LET GO – Cage the Elephant (27)
20. MOVEMENT – Hozier (21)
21. LONGSHOT – Catfish and the Bottlemen (23)
22. DISAPPEAR – Western Jaguar (24)
23. EXITS – Foals (25)
24. YOU’RE THE ONE – Greta Van Fleet (22)
25. ASSUME FORM – James Blake (29)
26. SALVATION – The Strumbellas (28)
27. WORST NIGHTS – Foster the People (17)
28. LIGHT ON – Maggie Rogers (18)
29. SECRET THAT LIES BEHIND – The Gear (30)
30. CHLORINE – twenty one pilots (N)
1. IN THE WATER – The Underground Vault (1)
2. DELTA BLUES – Jetstream (3)
3. WANDER – Vox Eagle with Pierre Fontaine (2)
4. SUNFLOWER – Post Malone & Swae Lee (5)
5. SUPERPOSITION – Young the Giant (8)
6. APOCALIPSTICK – Lazy Queen (7)
7. PRESSURE – Muse (9)
8. LOVE IT IF WE MADE IT – The 1975 (11)
9. NORTHERN LIGHTS – Death Cab for Cutie (12)
10. CHANGE – The Revivalists (13)
11. HIGH HOPES – Panic! At the Disco (4)
12. FAST TALK – Houses (6)
13. POWER OVER ME – Dermot Kennedy (17)
14. SIGUE CON EL AMOR – John Defeo (16)
15. S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun) – The Glorious Sons (21)
16. VOLCANO – Feather Weight (18)
17. WORST NIGHTS – Foster the People (14)
18. LIGHT ON – Maggie Rogers (15)
19. HOME – morgxn featuring WALK THE MOON (20)
20. TRAMPOLINE – SHAED (26)
21. MOVEMENT – Hozier (22)
22. YOU’RE THE ONE – Greta Van Fleet (23)
23. LONGSHOT – Catfish and the Bottlemen (24)
24. DISAPPEAR – Western Jaguar (25)
25. EXITS – Foals (27)
26. BACK DOWN – Bob Moses (10)
27. READY TO LET GO – Cage the Elephant (29)
28. SALVATION – The Strumbellas (30)
29. ASSUME FORM – James Blake (N)
30. SECRET THAT LIES BEHIND – The Gear (N)
1. IN THE WATER – The Underground Vault (2)
2. WANDER – Vox Eagle with Pierre Fontaine (1)
3. DELTA BLUES – Jetstream (5)
4. HIGH HOPES – Panic! At the Disco (3)
5. SUNFLOWER – Post Malone & Swae Lee (7)
6. FAST TALK – Houses (6)
7. APOCALIPSTICK – Lazy Queen (8)
8. SUPERPOSITION – Young the Giant (11)
9. PRESSURE – Muse (10)
10. BACK DOWN – Bob Moses (4)
11. LOVE IT IF WE MADE IT – The 1975 (12)
12. NORTHERN LIGHTS – Death Cab for Cutie (13)
13. CHANGE – The Revivalists (17)
14. WORST NIGHTS – Foster the People (15)
15. LIGHT ON – Maggie Rogers (16)
16. SIGUE CON EL AMOR – John Defeo (18)
17. POWER OVER ME – Dermot Kennedy (19)
18. VOLCANO – Feather Weight (20)
19. HURT PEOPLE – Two Feet featuring Madison Love (9)
20. HOME – morgxn featuring WALK THE MOON (22)
21. S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun) – The Glorious Sons (28)
22. MOVEMENT – Hozier (24)
23. YOU’RE THE ONE – Greta Van Fleet (25)
24. LONGSHOT – Catfish and the Bottlemen (26)
25. DISAPPEAR – Western Jaguar (27)
26. TRAMPOLINE – SHAED (29)
27. EXITS – Foals (30)
28. GUIDING LIGHT – Mumford & Sons (14) 20th week on chart
29. READY TO LET GO – Cage the Elephant (N)
30. SALVATION – The Strumbellas (N)
1. WANDER – Vox Eagle with Pierre Fontaine (1)
2. IN THE WATER – The Underground Vault (3)
3. HIGH HOPES – Panic! At the Disco (2)
4. BACK DOWN – Bob Moses (5)
5. DELTA BLUES – Jetstream (6)
6. FAST TALK – Houses (8)
7. SUNFLOWER – Post Malone & Swae Lee (8)
8. APOCALIPSTICK – Lazy Queen (9)
9. HURT PEOPLE – Two Feet featuring Madison Love (4)
10. PRESSURE – Muse (11)
11. SUPERPOSITION – Young the Giant (12)
12. LOVE IT IF WE MADE IT – The 1975 (13)
13. NORTHERN LIGHTS – Death Cab for Cutie (14)
14. GUIDING LIGHT – Mumford & Sons (7)
15. WORST NIGHTS – Foster the People (16)
16. LIGHT ON – Maggie Rogers (17)
17. CHANGE – The Revivalists (18)
18. SIGUE CON EL AMOR – John Defeo (19)
19. POWER OVER ME – Dermot Kennedy (20)
20. VOLCANO – Feather Weight (22)
21. MY BLOOD – twenty one pilots (15)
22. HOME – morgxn featuring WALK THE MOON (24)
23. YOU’RE SOMEBODY ELSE – flora cash (23)
24. MOVEMENT – Hozier (27)
25. YOU’RE THE ONE – Greta Van Fleet (28)
26. LONGSHOT – Catfish and the Bottlemen (29)
27. DISAPPEAR – Western Jaguar (30)
28. S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun) – The Glorious Sons (N)
29. TRAMPOLINE – SHAED (N)
30. EXITS – Foals (N)
1. WANDER – Vox Eagle with Pierre Fontaine (3)
2. HIGH HOPES – Panic! At the Disco (1)
3. IN THE WATER – The Underground Vault (5)
4. HURT PEOPLE – Two Feet featuring Madison Love (2)
5. BACK DOWN – Bob Moses (6)
6. DELTA BLUES – Jetstream (7)
7. GUIDING LIGHT – Mumford & Sons (4)
8. FAST TALK – Houses (8)
9. SUNFLOWER – Post Malone & Swae Lee (10)
10. APOCALIPSTICK – Lazy Queen (11)
11. PRESSURE – Muse (12)
12. SUPERPOSITION – Young the Giant (13)
13. LOVE IT IF WE MADE IT – The 1975 (15)
14. NORTHERN LIGHTS – Death Cab for Cutie (16)
15. MY BLOOD – twenty one pilots (9)
16. WORST NIGHTS – Foster the People (20)
17. LIGHT ON – Maggie Rogers (21)
18. CHANGE – The Revivalists (22)
19. SIGUE CON EL AMOR – John Defeo (23)
20. POWER OVER ME – Dermot Kennedy (24)
21. THANK U, NEXT – Ariana Grande (14)
22. VOLCANO – Feather Weight (28)
23. YOU’RE SOMEBODY ELSE – flora cash (18)
24. HOME – morgxn featuring WALK THE MOON (29)
25. THESE ARE MY FRIENDS – lovelytheband (17)
26. NEW BIRTH IN NEW ENGLAND – Phosphorescent (19)
27. MOVEMENT – Hozier (N)
28. YOU’RE THE ONE – Greta Van Fleet (N)
29. LONGSHOT – Catfish and the Bottlemen (N)
30. DISAPPEAR – Western Jaguar (N)
Western Jaguar is an alternative indie rock band I’ve followed awhile, and I absolutely love their music. Hailing from the picturesque Fraser River Valley of British Columbia, Canada east of Vancouver, they combine the best elements of alternative rock and dream pop to create beautifully moving and memorable soundscapes they describe as “sad indie rock”. Like many bands, they’ve recently undergone a number of changes in personnel, and the current lineup consists of Jeffrey Trainor (lead vocals/guitar), AJ Buckley (guitar), Davis Zand (bass) and Dave Montgomery (drums).
They’ve dropped a number of stellar releases, starting with their debut EP Glacia in 2013, then followed two years later with the album Wayfarer, and a second EP Memorial in 2017, and I’m proud to say I own them all. (The guys have generously made their music available for a reasonable sum on their Bandcamp account, so do check it out.) In September 2018 they released a hauntingly beautiful single “Darker Days”, and started off 2019 by dropping a gorgeous new single “Disappear.” The exuberant song has more of a pop-rock feel than most of their other songs, but still features the signature reverb-heavy guitars, throbbing bass and high-voltage percussion we’ve come to love about their music.
About the song, Jeff Trainor explains: “The overall theme of the single centrally focuses on changes that have occurred in our band. Over the past year we ended up losing a few band members and having some changes to our lineup. It happens over time with a band, but I saw this as an opportunity to get into the head space of change. Through “Disappear,” I wrote about the perspective of this change as a sense of relief. In some occasions, losing someone or something can end up freeing you in a lot of ways. The song deals with the struggle of cutting that weight loose, but also the feeling of making that negativity disappear once and for all. Musically, it’s the most pop friendly track we have in our repertoire, but with that being said, we still [believe] the feel and style of it connects to some of our biggest inspirations such as bands like Foals, Catfish and The Bottlemen and Modest Mouse.”
The song is fantastic, with a bold, complex melody that grabs and holds our attention from start to finish, and the instrumentals are stunning. The guys employ layer upon layer of richly-textured guitars, delivering a glorious and powerful mix of fuzzy, jangly and chiming riffs that bring chills. The throbbing bass and sparkling synths are perfectly balanced with the muscular drums that give heft to the track while still allowing the guitars to shine. And I especially love the little Foals-inspired riff in the bridge (being a massive Foals fan myself). Trainor’s vocals have an earnest vulnerability that’s really wonderful as he sings to someone for whom he no longer has strong feelings: “I just needed reason to stay. But you were gone. What was I supposed to do? There’s nothing left here for you. I’ll make you disappear.”
The stylishly-filmed video shows three of the charismatic band members performing the song in a chilly interior setting, as evidenced by the steam emitting from their mouths.
