Local CD Roundup

Mayda

Album: “Eyes on the Water”

Label: None

One thing is clear about St. Paul songster Mayda: Sister's got soul. Her new six-song EP "Eyes on the Water" contains the vocal prowess and Aretha Franklin-level emotion of Gossip's notoriously soulful Beth Ditto and the guitar goddess-ness of Nancy Wilson. Except, unlike Franklin and Ditto, Mayda is four-foot-ten and so thin you could smoke her bones. Wispy or not, her vocal magnitude compensates ten-fold for her petite stature.

On this record, she makes a departure from her Prince-sacked influences of yesteryear, and turns inward to a more intimate sound. She soulfully bawls her straight-forward confession lyrics in a no-nonsense manner, while her deftly-strummed acoustic guitar riffs provide a versatile canvas for her to pour herself unabashedly atop of.

The title track "Eyes on the Water" rides a head-bob-able groove that is more of a nod to her former, Prince-influenced self than the confessional songwriter theme that dominates the EP. Mayda beats the guitar like it messed up her eyeliner. It sounds like if Alanis Morissette took a page out of Muddy Waters' book of blues.

The soul train never slows throughout the disc. It's no surprise that Mayda's music has been used on such prizes as MTV's "Styl'd" and E!'s "Kourtney and Khloé do Miami." This soul-pop flavor can appease the mainstream taste buds.

Fuck Knights

Album: "Oh-Oh EP"

Label: Munster Records

Local power-trio Fuck Knights' gut-punching punk rock flashes like a switchblade and cuts like one too. Their newest EP, "Oh-Oh EP" is quick and salient, and its sound does not come gracefully to your ear, but, with its knife-edged guitar riffs, it slashes and cuts its way there.

The dirtily melodic riff on "Teenage Wasteland" wouldn’t sound out of place on Nirvana's first album "Bleach." In fact, that riff probably is on "Bleach." But the Knights are able to spin it into a more dance-y, less grunge-y direction, which is curious considering the song's angsty title.

"Kristina" — with its whirlwind drums, its pummeling bass line and its masterfully chaotic guitar work — is a nervous breakdown of a song. Drummer/vocalist Sir Getsalottapus' wails twist and duck through the boot-in-your-ass Stooges riffs of guitarist Sir Fuxalot and bassist Lord Ballahag.

This record will leave you out of breath, weary, disoriented and fatigued, but ready to head back to the record player to spin it again.