News

Shins singer to star in feature film

3:47 p.m. · December 1, 2008 · by Matthew Richardson

Is James Mercer the next J.Lo? Will he have to prove to us that he's still Jimmy from the block? The pensive, sensitive voice of rock quartet The Shins is soon to have his own time in the limelight: the crooner is starring in the feature film Some Days Are Better Than Others, directed by Matt McCormick, who in the past has worked on videos "Australia" and "The Past and The Pending" for the band.

"[The film is] about lonely people trying to create their own abstract forms of communication," McCormick told Pitchfork.

The film also features former Sleater-Kinney drummer Carrie Brownstein, who's previously appeared with Mercer in a short by McCormick entitled "Light Tiger Eye."

How did Mercer get the part? According to McCormick, "With James, the character he plays is in many ways an extension of the character I created for him in The Shins' "The Past and The Pending" video I did a while back. While writing the script, James sort of became the character by default."

The film is slated for an Autumn 2009 release.

[NME]