Jowe Head's C.V. already reads like an obscurity-loving indie-rocker's wet dream -- cred-heavy stints in Television Personalities and Swell Maps assure him cult hero status, even if he never touches a microphone or an instrument again. But that's not Mr. Head's plan: between his recent work with Angel Racing Food and a proliferation of singles and compilation tracks under his own name, he's clearly in the midst of a dark-horse bid for market dominance.

This particular seven-inch offers an interesting cross-section of Head's work. Nominal A-side "Merman Blues" is a bit of a slog -- a densely-layered, echo-drenched voyage to the droningest corner of trippyville. There's a sort of sardonic psychedelic vibe at work here that should appeal to Roy Montgomery fans, though these "Blues" are far busier, rhythmically speaking, than most of Montgomery's work. There are also hints of compromise in the production, specific details lost or garbled as the tune was mixed down to a manageable form. It's not a failure in any sense of the word -- just one of those songs that deserves to be remixed at some point in the future.

"Baby Bounce", on the flip, is a more energetic effort, with a clattering rhythm track, jittery guitar and keyboard interplay, and some wordless, echo-soaked chanting in the background. A handful of extraneous sound effects finish the picture -- are those jet planes?

Vocally, Head sounds great -- even trendy -- mustering a surly snarl that lands somewhere between stentorian post-punk and J. G. Thirlwell. As a result, "Baby Bounce" will hook people who wouldn't have touched a Jowe Head record a few years ago. "Merman Blues" may be a harder sell, but look at it this way: when Head's surprise coup topples the music industry later this year, you'll have to like it. Better get started now.