The Raid - We Know Best

The Raid deliver some fairly robust, if hardly ground-breaking, indie rock and roll. Immediate comparisons to Stereophonics are inescapable, thanks largely to some distinctly Kelly-Jonesian vocals but, for the most part, We Know Best orbits an intelligent staccato guitar refrain more reminiscent of contemporaries like The Futureheads. It's upbeat, delivering a well-judged chorus and is sensibly aware of its own brevity. The Raid could quite comfortably open for a number of Brit Rock godfathers. As to whether they have the depth of material or blind good fortune to emulate these bands' success remains to be seen. [Chris Cusack]