Interviewed by Hot Press last year about his memoir on his upbringing, Coal Black Mornings, Suede frontman Brett Anderson was equivocal about when the sequel might arrive, if it all. A mere 18 months later, though, the singer has delivered Afternoons With The Blinds Drawn, a fascinating reflection on Suede's meteoric rise to zeitgeist-defining '90s stardom.

As with all the great rock sagas, it's a potent mix of highs and lows. For Anderson, Suede's dizzying success - classic albums, unforgettable gigs and delirious critical acclaim - was offset by the darkness of addiction, inter-band bust-ups (including the acrimonious departure of guitarist Bernard Butler) and a bitter love rivalry with Blur's Damon Albarn over Elastica's Justine Frischmann.

Accurately described by the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant as "a compelling personal account of the dramas of a singular British band", with Afternoons..., Anderson has again penned one of the finest music books of the year.