Saw You Dancing

On Saw You DancingThe Hermit Crabs share a drummer (Lee Thomson) with fellow Glasgow indie pop band Camera Obscura, they also share a sound — a lightly strummed, folky indie pop with simple hooks and a plaintive female voice fronting the operation. What they don't share is the same level of songcraft or a willingness to experiment with sound, two things that Camera Obscura excel at. Most of all though, the vocals come up short. Simply put, singer Melanie Whittle is no Tracyanne Campbell. She's a very good singer, no doubt about that, but she lacks the depth and emotional punch that Campbell easily conjures up. It's no crime to fail to measure up to your most obvious inspiration/competition as long as you bring something unique and interesting to the proceedings. The Hermit Crabs succeed at times on Saw You Dancing (a few of the tunes, like the sunny "Feel Good Factor," the nearly rocking "Bad Timing," and the quietly melancholic "Tonight" are memorable) but ultimately they are sunk by the songs that lack compelling hooks or interesting lyrics. They are doomed by comparison, too, because really there is no reason to listen to this album when you could reach for Camera Obscura instead.