Cloud Nothings

Cloud Nothings are getting huge buzz right now in the blogosphere, and for good reason. Their brand of garage-y punk rock is emotionally intelligent, and they play it with conviction. At Brooklyn Bowl, the Nothings packed a short set full of tunes, blazing through their repertoire with an assured calm. Their music has a power in the live setting that it lacks in studio; the grit that makes it pop on stage occasionally comes across as fuzz on record, which doesn't do justice to the raw power this band can unleash. They don't always come full force, choosing instead to save the top range of the dial for when it counts. When they let it break on songs like "Didn't You," it's perfect.