Leaving my Empire RCM***

Indie-pop with its head in the clouds and its heart in the gutter – that's the sort of music that Fred purvey. The Cork quintet decamped to Montreal to record their fourth album with former Arcade Fire member Howard Bilerman, but if Leaving My Empirefails to break new ground, it's not really an issue.

Fred are extremely good at what they do, which is unearthing gleams of melodic brilliance amidst a haze of scuffed beats, chiming guitar twangs and epic climaxes. Those twinkles are best heard on The Life Behind's bursts of colourful repetition, the sharp strings and winsome harmonies of Fears and Remedies, or As You See's addictively simple piano riff.

There’s certainly more filler than killer among these 11 songs, but Fred’s lack of innovation is compensated by their zest for melody. See fredtheband.com

Download tracks: As You See, Everything