By any normal standards Dublin rockers Aslan should have imploded long before now - which makes it all the more surprising that their new album is probably the most accomplished thing they've ever done. Everything about Waiting For This Madness To End is slick and self-confident, from the solid guitar and keyboard-driven tunes to the singalong choruses that distinguish standout tracks Different Man and She's So Beautiful. The lyrics, meanwhile, are almost universally mournful as Christy Dignam laments the breakdown of a relationship - familiar territory but handled with some subtlety here. Where they go from here is anyone's guess, but this album certainly entitles Aslan to a degree of respect which has often been denied them.