Over the many years of his illustrious broadcasting career, Bob Harris has championed many an outsider. Although more recent years have seen Americana lovers having to sit through far too much mainstream country to reach the good bits, good old ‘Whispering’ Bob still finds them and, ever the true gent, he shares them. Some go on to achieve fame and greatness. Many others do not, but they still have the ability to make a lasting impression through that one track shared by Bob.
And so it is with Loomer. ‘Caramel Heart’ is taken from the band’s second album “Songs Of The Wild West Island”. Released in late 2006 Bob raved about it, and he wasn’t alone. Garnering much critical acclaim at the time, the album seems to have been where the band hit the buffers as little can be found about their subsequent fate. (If anybody out there knows, please do tell).
Loomer grew out of Toronto-based band The Saddletramps, whose main claim to fame seems to have been that Sarah Harmer was an original band member. After Harmer went on her way to solo recognition, the band limped on until they disbanded in the late 90s. Core members of the band Andrew Lindsay, John DeHaas and Brian Duguay subsequently joined Michael Taylor, Iain Thomson, and Scott Loomer to form Loomer. Building around the idiosyncratic writing skills of Scott Loomer their debut album “Love Is A Dull Instrument” was released in 2004. Likened at the time as The Jayhawks meets Son Volt, the praise it received and the confidence flowing from that acclaim laid the foundation for that follow-up.
‘Caramel Heart’ is a lovely, long, meandering slice of smooth americana with guitar loops that stick in the head as only the best earworm can. The lyrics, for a 5-minute song, are surprisingly brief, with guitars, piano and drums giving a rousing 2-minute climax to a song that is as soft and warm and sticky as its title suggests.
“You were born with a caramel heart all soft and warm and sticky
Melting on the sidewalk in the sun all unprotected
Life can be a pair of boots, all hobnails and hard edges
Marching straight towards your caramel heart
I am just some old ice cream, all cold and hard and grainy
Hiding underneath the bread at the bottom of your freezer
So won’t you pour your golden love across my icy features
Between the cracks and crevices, they’ve been so dark for ages
Aren’t you glad we took the time to make this caramel sundae?
Tastes like staying out past nine in the middle of the summer
Your caramel heart”.
I saw them in Glasgow back in 2006, was a fine gig as far as I remember.