With his high, expressive voice and an easy way with sticky melodies, James Mercer recalls great pop songwriters from years past. The Beatles have always been an easy reference point for his work with the Shins, but Mercer’s songs often recall the work of some of pop’s other master craftsmen like XTC and the Zombies, which makes a certain amount of sense: Mercer spent his high school years in Europe as his father was in the Air Force. Settled in New Mexico, he knocked out the Shins’ debut Oh Inverted World, which included the famously life-changing single “New Slang,” which in turn introduced the band to a much bigger audience. Two more albums followed, both heavy on hooks and both finding Mercer expanding the band’s sound. The Zombies influence was more prevalent on Chutes Too Narrow, a bigger production than the band’s debut. Wincing the Night Away included some darker tones and a more experimental feeling, though “Australia” suggested Mercer wasn’t out of big melodic ideas.

This year he took a detour with Broken Bells, his collaborative release with multi-instrumentalist / producer Danger Mouse. But for Levi’s, Mercer is back in Shins’ mode re-crafting “Goodbye Girl,” a tightly-wound pop masterpiece written by Squeeze’s songwriting team of Chris Difford (smart lyrics) and Glenn Tilbrook (catchy melodies). One of the ’80s best pop bands, Squeeze included “Goodbye Girl” on its 1979 classic Cool for Cats, which undoubtedly found its way into the hands of a teenage Mercer when he was living in England. Pitting a reverbed guitar against an earthy acoustic strum he treats it reverently without undoing its big chorus.