reviews:

'Tonight' is the understated introduction to 'Saw You Dancing,' the debut collection from Glasgow's Hermit Crabs. Though barely over two minutes in length, it aptly showcases what is to be expected throughout the album; acoustic and electric guitars drive the song before a flourish of violin in the second half, and lead vocalist and chief songwriter Melanie Whittle maintains a sober tone as she picks at the bones of a failing relationship (a recurring theme across the album's ten tracks). Indeed, it would be fair to say that this is not a 'happy' album, despite the presence of Burnsong competition winner 'Feel Good Factor' which extols the virtues of Glasgow's bustling and well- renowned Sauchiehall Street. The majority of the music is delivered with a distinctly mournful air, and even when the pace picks up such as on 'Goodbye My Friend,' the song remains at heart a wry lament. 'Third Time Lucky' expresses regret, the pining for absent friends, and with its sweetly melodic guitar and harmony parts shows how well the Hermit Crabs can musically articulate sadness. Though sonically they stay downbeat throughout the album, rare hints that the band have more than sorrow up their sleeves, perhaps include the introductory handclaps on 'Lean Free Summer' and the flashes of humour in Whittle's lyrics. With the Hermit Crabs' indie sound embellished by violin and occasional dabbles into additional instrumentation, and the tinges of folk which permeate the record, it is perhaps too easy to bring the likes of Belle & Sebastien and Camera Obscura to mind, and yet all the same impossible to avoid either comparison. Fans of both bands will appreciate this solid debut which should provide the band with a sure footing on which to build.   --Is This Music?

Led by singer/guitarist Melanie Whittle, The Hermit Crabs craft the sort of low-key pop numbers you'd cherish on a drizzly day: With folkish simplicity and softness, the band's debut Saw You Dancing -- out now on Matinee Records -- breezes through light indie pop that's stuck somewhere in the middle of twee and bedroom pop opuses. With Whittle's bubbling vocals as the foundation, the band cross-references everything from jangly American indie rock a la Shins and Death Cab to bedroom-pop masterpieces from everyone from The Field Mice to The Lucksmiths. If it sounds complicated, it isn't: Old-fashioned simplicity sits at the heart of Saw You Dancing as the Hermit Crabs waltz through a pure pop album so easily you may forget how slick it really is. Don't underestimate it: "Secrets and Lies" is nothing but uncut folk-pop, with an acoustic guitar and violin propping up Whittle's plaintive vocals. "Feel Good Factor," which is recycled from the band's debut of the same name, is a dose of Californian sunshine filtered through Scottish bedroom-pop sensibilities and the melodies in "Tonight" are giddy enough to chase away the blues that might settle on such a coy number.  --Aversion.com

Glasgow's The Hermit Crabs perfectly exhibit everything that makes the indie-pop genre wonderful on their debut album. The female vocals from Melanie Whittle are beautiful and rich with emotion. The rhythms are catchy, at times melancholy and at times playful. The production adds a lush sheen to the album, bringing out every chiming guitar note. And the use of violin and extra percussion gives the band it's most unique quality. While not straying too far from indie-pop bands like The Lucksmiths and Belle & Sebastian, this young band spans a number of genre influences on their debut, from the purely precise pop to bits of folk, country, and rock. Assisted at times by members of Teenage Fanclub and Camera Obscure, the Crabs illustrate how approachable their music can be to fans of a variety of styles of pop. The album opens with the folk-tinged 'Tonight," a subtle opener that exhibits the wonderful addition violin can add to the genre. It's followed by the up-tempo 'Goodbye My Friend," which has a nice, bouncy rhythm a la Dressy Bessy. 'Closet Fan" is softer, more melancholy and introspective, while 'Lean, Free Summer" is so playfully poppy, the hand-claps at the beginning sound completely at home. My favorite song on the album is definitely 'Bad Timing," with a bit of a soulful sway and some added percussion to lend it depth. 'Friend's Folk Festival" is another highlight, with a sprightly pace and the catchiest lyrics on the album. I can't help bobbing and singing along to 'Feel Good Factor," which perfectly suits its feel-good title. Even the more heartfelt tracks, like the folksy/country-tinged 'Third Time Lucky" has a wonderful sway to it. The more mellow and somber 'Soul Mate" closes the album with a gorgeous, echoed feel and light guitars. The musicians here are clearly not newcomers. There's a lot of talent in The Hermit Crabs, as evident on this debut full-length. These songs are well-written and perfectly produced, with a nice range of indie-pop influences. And there's potential to stray even further from the set boundaries of the genre, making me eagerly anticipate a follow-up.  --Delusions of Adequacy

Vintage photograph on the album cover? Check. Trebly and lovesick melodies sharp enough to rip a cardigan sweater? Check. Clever, library assistant-baiting lyrics such as 'I will be de Beauvoir, if you'll be my Sartre"? Double-check. Needless to say, Scotland's Hermit Crabs leave no page of the Scottish folk-pop fakebook unturned, but for those frustrated by a 2007 with no new music from either Belle And Sebastian or Camera Obscura, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The sweet, three-hankie ballad 'Closet Fan" finds the honey-voiced Melanie Whittle sighing about punk rock while confessing a secret love, and 'Bad Timing," with its driving beat and a tastefully grinding violin, is about as close to rocking out as the Hermit Crabs are likely to get. The group's jangle-pop pedigree is fairly impeccable, with guest spots from original Teenage Fanclub drummer (and Camera Obscura manager) Francis Macdonald, and the album's 10 bite-sized tracks breeze by with such a casual ease that it's tough to find much fault.   --MAGNET Magazine

Their EP was a delightful little treat ("Feel Good Factor" even makes another appearance here), but this full album from them is simply gorgeous! The band plays folky pop, using female vocals, brushed drums and the occasional violin or piano, sharing similarities (as well as relations) with fellow Glaswegians Camera Obscura and California Snow Story, with nods to Math And Physics Club and Belle And Sebastian, as well. Ten tracks of perfect little pop songs that are just as heartbreaking and poignant during the upbeat and jangly songs as they are during the slower ones!   --IndiePages

There's a sweet simplicity to The Hermit Crabs' music which I appreciate. Their debut album Saw You Dancing has 10 songs, at maybe a half-hour in length. But more than that it's their music itself that's simple and sweet: A singer with a pretty voice over breezy guitar-pop with a light folk slant, partly via violin. Handclaps here, harmonies there. Song-speeds from slow to mid-tempo. No flashy surprises or tricks, just songs. Songs about friends, about love, about what to do with your evenings, about the band's hometown of Glasgow, Scotland. My favorite songs form a trio at the album's center. There's 'Lean, Free Summer", with its vision of an idyllic summer spent hanging out with friends, free from responsibilities, though loneliness remains as an undercurrent. There's 'Bad Timing", where dense guitar gives a slight rock edge but a pretty violin break lightens it. And the bouncy 'Friend's Folk Festival", about the 'what to do tonight?" question but really about a complicated secret love. Those songs all have a sense of despair and worry underneath, showing even the simplest pleasures are never that simple. Saw You Dancing was preceded by a 4-song EP, with the album track 'Feel Good Factor" plus three more songs that carry that same sense of simple but not simplistic. A 'carefree" ballad actually ends the EP with a wicked mood hovering in the air.  --Erasing Clouds

There's always been a touch of narcissism in the world of performing music. After all, there's something vaguely rewarding about attracting a crowd of hundreds rather than dozens to watch you play your songs. We get that, and are fine with it. Lately, though the look-at-me factor's been cranked up in the underground. No longer are acts content to play modest club shows and intimate basement appearances, they need the praise of the faceless Internet. And, faced with the reality that there are literally thousands of bands vying for online attention, it's clear that a lot of 'em out there resort to every sort of gimmick -- progressive, art-rock overtures, adopting fashionably trendy sub-sub-genre stylings, hokey MySpace-based marketing -- to show us that, unlike the other half-million underground acts out there, they're the real deal. These days, you have to have a gimmick to get attention, and, sadly, underground music's frequently an exercise in gimmicks as often as it is in honest music-making. If you're bored to death with the hordes of narcissistic types demanding our attention in every medium, Glasgow's Hermit Crabs may just be for you. You see, instead of walloping us with some bullshit artistic manifesto, sucking up to tastemakers with a carefully chosen list of influences and calling all sorts of attention to themselves by breaking the mold, Saw You Dancing does things the old-fashioned way. The band sticks to pop fundamentals on its first full-length, delivering an album that's about enjoying the simple things -- twee songwriting and basic pop melodies -- for what they are. In The Hermit Crabs' hands, the simple things are still as effective as anything the zeitgeist-expanding corps of innovators has to offer. The Hermit Crabs keep it simple on Saw You Dancing, but don't confuse that with plain. The band pours its heart into its 10-track effort, making twee melodies, jangle-pop guitars and large nods to folk-pop as captivating as, say, the latest electronic-music technological breakthrough. Probably more so. Singer/guitarist Melanie Whittle's crisp delivery sits just on the good side of saccharine, as she leads her act through light, airy sing-song numbers that want nothing more to join the canon of pure-pop wonders. "Tonight" and "Lean Free Summer" take folk's simple chord progressions and salt-of-the-earth simplicity to prop up breezy pop numbers that have just enough backbone and spirit to avoid falling into the twee-pop ghettos. "Bad Timing" takes the same rambling Americana that helped form Sons and Daughters' last album, but uses it to grow support jangly, sparkly bedroom pop. "Feel Good Factor," recycled from last year's EP of the last name, is a gem of a track that should appeal to everyone from Lucksmiths and Magnetic Fields collectors to casual, indie-curious budding popsters with little more than token exposure to the genre through Shins radio singles. Saw You Dancing isn't the flashiest or most sophisticated pop record of the season, but that's exactly why it works. The Hermit Crabs don't need to hide behind underground fashions and pretense to make good music. Saw You Dancing still demands your attention -- but not like so many of its gimmick-ridden compatriots do, simply sticking to solid songwriting.   --Aversion.com

The Hermit Crabs remind me of Camera Obscura, alot. I like Camera Obscura, alot. And hence I am rather fond of the Hermit Crabs too. Lovely jangly pop songs, covered in icing and the beautiful voice of Melanie Whittle is an ample cherry on top. Sometimes longingly drawn out care of the soaring violins, elsewhere instant and poppy, catchy and joyful like the instantaneous pop of Goodbye My Friend, Lean Free Summer and the surely by now much loved Feel Good Factor with its cheeky 'cha cha cha". 'Have you ever fallen in love with someone you really shouldn't have?" Asks the lovely Closet Fan..."we were born within an hour of each other/ and we share the same hair colour". For those craving a new Camera Obscura album Saw You Dancing will more than suffice if not exceed your needs for now.   --I’d Rather Be Fat Than Be Confused

Although the name might summon up awkward questions there is no denying the Hermit Crabs way with a swish tune. Led by Melanie Whittle (ex of California Snow Story) this Glaswegian band have found a nice little sponsor by way of the irrepressible Matinée Recordings. Hermit Crabs peddle that distinctive Glaswegian twee pop sound, nothing sounds overcooked and the ingredients are organic in nature. 'Saw You Dancing', the bands debut, came out late last year and includes the chipper 'Friend's Folk Festival'. Bouncy and flush with adolescent themes it would likely fog up every thick-rimmed spectacle from here to Northern Scotland.  --mp3hugger

Glasgow has become a musical hotbed of late, with the likes of Belle and Sebastian, Franz Ferdinand and more recently Glasvegas cutting their teeth there. But if you scratch below the surface there are many more bands worthy of your attention and the Hermit Crabs are one such band. Fronted by Melanie Whittle, they sound similar to little known Leicester band, Po!, from the early 1990's or the more familiar New Seekers, had they come from Scotland 40 years after they had originally appeared… Rooted very much in the simple mid-80's indie-pop glorified by fanzines, cardigans, flower printed dresses, bowl haircuts and anoraks, The Hermit Crabs breathe additional life and beauty into their songs with the haunting use of violin, such as on opener, 'Tonight', or debut single, 'Feel Good Factor'. Despite the gentle sound and overall tweeness of this record (handclaps appear on at least two tracks), there are some dark themes running through many of the songs, such as onthe final track, 'Soul Mate', which contains the lyrics 'Can I be your mistress? Can I be your one night stand? I'll hold the cards, I'll have my heart" or Friend's Folk Festival with '…and I don't wanna have sex tonight with a boy from my work on the south side". In truth, the Hermit Crabs are never going to perform sell out tours, have hit records or woo the music press, but they are a positive reminder that indie-pop did not die in the late 80's, at the birth of shoegazing and grunge, but merely returned to the underground to thrive happily below the fickle pop radar. An admirable addition to any indie-pop collection.   --Pennyblack Magazine

'Hi there … twee fan?" About a year ago, a band called The Hermit Crabs sent me a message on MySpace that opened with this question. The answer was (and is) yes. I was shocked—contact from a band whose music actually matched my taste? But I absolutely adore Camera Obscura, so it's no surprise that another Glasgow pop band with pretty melodies, warm strings and dreamy female vocals would be my cup of tea. Saw You Dancing (following last December's Feel Good Factor EP) is the Hermit Crabs' first full-length album, out with Matinee Recordings. Upbeat tracks like 'Friend's Folk Festival" and 'Lean Free Summer" best showcase the band's talent for crafting completely catchy tunes. Camera Obscura drummer Lee Thomson plays on four songs; but even when these bands sound a lot like each other—and Belle & Sebastian, too—it's the stories they tell that set them apart. Just as well as she emits joy, Hermit Crabs lead singer and songwriter Melanie Whittle can evoke feelings of loneliness and longing with a simple lyric: When I saw you, I ran back to my homestead / Pulled the covers right over my head / Back to my homestead / Listened to some punk rock instead." Then again, that's from a song called 'Closet Fan," so maybe it's really just about their fellow hometown bands  --Rivet Magazine

A five-piece Scottish Indiepop band with folk nudgings towards the upbeat rather than revolutionary; an arts fair instead of a guerilla war. The Hermit Crabs are walking (perhaps sideways) on rainbow steps of guitar lines, walking a few feet above you - not looking you in the eyes. It is cute; but it's so smooth and comfortable, you won't be concerned when this flood of soulful Scottish pop music pours into your very mind.   --Nothing But Green Lights

This is Matinée's 10th anniversary, so in the onslaught of new fabulous indiepop records don't miss out on their new batch of releases. Our friends from Glasgow, The Hermit Crabs, have finally completed their brilliant debut album Saw You Dancing. If you've heard any of their previous output you know this is an essential pop album! Jimmy, being the nice bloke he is, lets you download the instant hit "Friends Folk Festival". I've only heard this live before and the recording definitely adds a lot to it in arrangement and production.   --Heaven Is Above Your Head

Have you heard of The Hermit Crabs yet? They're an up-and-coming Scottish folk-tinged indiepop band group from Glasgow. They've just released their debut album, Saw You Dancing, newly out from Matinee Records. If you're expecting flash, gimmicks, and clever illusions, you're not going to find it here. The Hermit Crabs offer a return to the sacred art of simple songwriting. They play straightforward pure pop that puts its stock in jangly guitars and singer/guitarist Melanie Whittle. Whittle pristine delivery has a voice like a pure, gently bubbling mountain stream - clear and refreshing. It's beautifully melodic without overwhelming the rest of the (scenery) music. The four-piece crafts the sort of low-key pop numbers you'd cherish on a drizzly day. Old-fashioned simplicity sits at the heart of Saw You Dancing as the Hermit Crabs waltz through a pure pop album so easily you may forget how slick it really is. Don't underestimate it: 'Secrets and Lies" is nothing but uncut folk-pop, with an acoustic guitar and violin propping up Whittle's plaintive vocals. 'Feel Good Factor," which is recycled from the band's debut of the same name, is a dose of Californian sunshine filtered through Scottish bedroom-pop sensibilities and the melodies in 'Tonight" are giddy enough to chase away the blues that might settle on such a coy number. So in a indie world filled with much glitz, ritz, and razzamataz, sit back and enjoy the 'feel good' sounds of The Hermit Crabs.   --EZ Tracks

I'm going to be honest: I got interested in The Hermit Crabs because of their name. And they don't disappoint, either. The Hermit Crabs are another twee band, but I think they're even cuter than Math and Physics Club. Their songs jangle along super sweetly, and lead singer Melanie Whittle has a gorgeous voice. Fans of Camera Obscura and The Essex Green will find something to love in this Scottish quintet (alternatively, they might totally hate them for sounding too similar).   --MFR

Cosa si diceva dei Camera Obscura al primo disco? Che erano risciacquatura indiepop? Che non sarebbero mai usciti dal cono d'ombra di Belle & Sebastian? O che, nonostante tutto, "Eighties fan" ce la saremmo ricordata a lungo? E' il momento di imparare dagli errori, perchè gli Hermit Crabs vengono da un paradosso temporale a ripetere tutto quanto. Assomigliano tanto al gruppo di Tracyanne Campbell. Un gruppo di Glasgow identico a un gruppo di Glasgow che assomigliava tanto a un altro gruppo di Glasgow. Tante scatole cinesi, ognuna con una sorpresa. Ma non basta un pomeriggio scozzese a fare una grande canzone, non basta imitare un disco per replicarne i sentimenti. Questo almeno lo abbiamo imparato. E sotto la t-shirt dei Camera Obscura, gli Hermit Crabs hanno un cuore che batte. "Saw You Dancing" è un disco acerbo in tutti i modi giusti; è l'album di una band in divenire, che per il momento si accontenta di piccoli traguardi quotidiani ma che già evidenzia i sintomi della grandezza. I prerequisiti sono elencati come in un formulario: una lunga gestazione (alcuni dei pezzi risalgono al 2003), gli eccellenti rapporti di vicinato (produce Francis MacDonald dei Teenage Fanclub), il mood da perenne autunno cittadino. La differenza - o per meglio dire la somiglianza – però la fa il il talento di Melanie Whittle, che da autrice osserva, ricorda, e all'occorrenza rimpiange, accarezza con voce di velluto i dieci brani dell'album e ribadisce che la magia del pop made in Glasgow sta tutta nell'abilità del narratore, come in un gioco di prestigio visto mille volte ma ancora capace di lasciare il pubblico a bocca aperta. I pezzi veramente compiuti qui dentro sono pochi: i puri arpeggi scottish di "Tonight", l'ennesimo impalbabile elogio della timidezza di "Closet Fan", l'allegria campagnola da storia d'amore di "Friend's Folk festival", e soprattutto il perfetto buonumore di "Feel good factor", il suo giro di basso, la splendida voce di Melanie che dipinge Sauchiehall Street (la via dello shopping di Dublino) con tinte più vivide di qualsiasi quadro e di qualsiasi storia, consegnandola ad un buonumore così tangibile da potersi toccare con mano. Come si diceva? La ricorderemo a lungo. Ma ciò che affascina di "Saw you Dancing", più ancora della sonnecchiosa bellezza da coperte ancora calde, è la promessa che sussurra; una promessa sottolineata dalle sue stesse incertezze, e per questo destinata a diventare migliore. Sono i frammenti amari e desolati di "Free, lean summer", le alternanze vocali sixties di "Third Time Lucky", improvvisi bagliori in canzoni imperfette, incompiute. E anche i fallimenti come "Bad timing" servono a convalidare la sensazione di un album vivo e lucido. Se il singolo era un indizio, questa è la prova, inoppugnabile e definitiva, che i giovani redenti e delusi che lavoravano da Marks & Spencer, e che poi disperati lavavano i capelli con il miele per farsi amare, adesso si rintanano sotto le coperte ad ascoltare musica punk, per proteggersi dal mondo. Non è cambiato niente, tutto si è rinnovato nel ciclico miracolo chiamato scottish pop.  --Indiepop.it

The Hermit Crabs stammen aus glasgow, schottland. damit eigentlich schon verwunderlich, wie sie den weg auf das label Matinée Recordings geschafft haben. sei's drum. so war die entfernung zur entdeckung kurz und verbindlich. denn alles, alles, was auf diesem label das licht der welt erblickt, wird 'überprüft'. außerem sind die crabs insofern keine fremden mehr, da die hälfte der vierköpfigen band bei california snow story arbeitete: melanie whittle: guitar and vocals und des mckenna : bass guitar. 2003 formierten sie the hermit crabs, mit im boot waren außerdem: john ferguson: lead guitar und tony mcdonald : drums. im dezember letzten jahres kam dann die erste ep "feel good factor" heraus und nun folgt am 01. oktober das debut full length album: "saw you dancing". der titel gibt schon einiges vor, man kann ahnen, in welche richtung das gehen wird. auch das cover hat diesen leicht charmanten indiepopcharakter. aber vergessen werden sollte nicht die folknote, die die wunderbaren melodien immer wieder umspült! zum reinhören bitte hier und hier bemühen. matinèe hat es bisher sehr gut geschafft, ohne mp3s auszukommen. wenngleich es das 'einhören' erschwert, habe ich doch respekt vor dieser variante des umgangs mit labeleigener musik.   --Das Klienicum

De jongens en meisjes van het Matinée label maken overuren. Eerder dit jaar brachten ze al leuke releases uit van de Lucksmiths en de Math and Physics Club en nu brengen ze een album van The Hermit Crabs uit. En alsof dat niet genoeg is komt binnenkort de verzamelaar The Matinée Hit Parade uit. The Hermit Crabs komen uit Glasgow en maken frisse en vederlichte indie-pop. Wat dat betreft zitten ze in het verlengde van stadsgenoten Belle and Sebastian en Camera Obscura. 'Saw You Dancing' is een heerlijk zomerse plaat met songs als Feel Good Factor en Friend's Folk Festival die je maar niet uit je kop krijgt. De vocalen van Melanie White zijn in één woord prachtig. De band krijgt bovendien hulp van Frances Macdonald van de Teenage Fanclub.   --Ketelmuziek

Os The Hermit Crabs são uma simpática banda de Glasgow, que certamente cresceu a adorar os Belle and Sebastian, companheiros de cidade e de uma adolescência feita de tempos difíceis, do aparecimento das primeiras borbulhas ao estranho e iniciático beijo de língua - não necessariamente por esta ordem. «Saw You Dancing», primeira aventura do quinteto, é um disco onde reina a simplicidade, mostrando que muitas vezes não é necessário ir ao fim do mundo para mergulhar nas águas cristalinas de um oceano pop sem ondulação.Como Azeitão tem as tortas, Palmela o moscatel e o Porto as francesinhas, Glasgow encontrou também o seu filão: uma pop narcisisticamente perfeita capaz de pôr, o mundo inteiro, a fazer figura de eterno adolescente. Uma estreia auspiciosa a que o Fusco oferece 3,75 na escala da acne juvenil.   --Fusco-Lusco