The Third Eye

Perpetual Doom is an indie label and production company I’ve been getting into more lately, and they’ve delivered the goods again recently with the self-titled album by Saguaro, which was released on October 6th. I don’t know much about the band other than all the songs were written and performed by Jeff Phunmongkol and John Cunningham. But it’s been in heavy rotation for me.

About Saguaro

Perpetual Doom describes the self-titled album this way on Bandcamp:

“Uncover an aural triumph within Saguaro’s self-titled album, where cosmic and country elements converge in spiraling patterns, offering a touch of sweet disorientation. The interplay of drums, guitar, and vocals gleams like gold, crafting a musical tapestry that’s both luminous and slightly askew, beckoning you to delve into its diverse dimensions.”

You could use many tags to describe Saguaro, and some that are appropriate are freak folk, acid folk, California country, and psychedelic country. Being the Americana fan I am, this one was right up my alley.

The Songs

Saguaro consists of nine tracks and begins with a brief “Prelude.” The dreamy twang of the guitars is the sound you’ll hear most on this record, and the opening track offers it to us an appetizer. “Secret of Lost Cause” features the dual singing of Jeff and John over the beautiful instrumentation. At least I think they’re both singing, or there could be some weird studio effects going on …

“Simply Valley” is a short one at two minutes and 16 seconds. Most of the songs follow a similar formula, but it works. This is music for fans of country-psych Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers – you can tell Saguaro are musical descendants of the great Gram Parsons.

“Lady Blue” gives us more country-fried psychedelia, and it’s the type of country that feels like it could only be written by Californians because of the laid-back grooves and expansiveness of the sounds. These songs are not complex, really; just nice, relaxing, folksy jams for lazy Sunday afternoons. “Lady Blue” also reminds me a bit of the Bessie character in The Band’s “Up on Cripple Creek” – a matronly figure who “cares for all the land as she does me and you.”

The vocals take more of a backseat in “Ridge Lane” while the guitar jumps in the driver’s seat. There was something about the tone and playing of the guitar that reminded me of Lynyrd Skynard and other Southern rockers, which isn’t so surprising considering the country roots of many of these songs.

“Loong Turn” hits us with the double-vocal effect again and the beautiful playing of an acoustic guitar. Saguaro tells stories in these songs of mainly oddball characters and slackers, and during points in the record, you can hear Jeff and John trying to hold back laughter. So, they had fun making this thing.

“Oh Deborah” is oh so short but oh so good. Featuring guest drummer Michael Young, Saguaro sings about losing a lover. “Oh, Deborah, I tried to keep you here,” and maybe old Debbie is the one who got away.

The record closes with “Merry Sol,” following a similar template from most songs. The song has a Neil Young “Harvest Moon” vibe in the upbeat acoustic jangling, which is an excellent way to close things out.

Final Thoughts

Every so often, we like to cover the cosmic corners of the Americana and alt-country world here at The Third Eye, and Saguaro’s self-titled album is a fine piece of psychedelic country for those into that genre. The limited edition cassette has sold out on Bandcamp, but you can purchase it digitally.

The run time will go by fast, as each of the nine tracks isn’t very long. But you’ll enjoy the sounds of these hippie cowboys, bringing some sunshine into your life, especially as we descend into the cold months. If you liked the Acid Cowboys playlist I made not too long ago, Saguaro should be up your alley.

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