Don't Come Close by Yeasayer

With every Grand Theft Auto, I'm convinced there's at least one music gem released exclusively for the soundtrack. For example, The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV, in 2008, had No Sex for Ben by The Rapture. A song which was played for a period of probably a month when the soundtrack was first released and occasionally comes up on shuffle, evoking fond memories. Whenever a new GTA game is announced to be released, I get excited for the soundtrack and not the game.

On Grand Theft Auto V, the song to love is Don't Come Close by Yeasayer. I've been a Yeasayer fan since All Hour Cymbals in 2007, which I still maintain is the greatest album of theirs and one of my favorites of all time. Odd Blood and Fragrant World haven't necessarily been disappointments, but it's been a while since I've been so excited over a possible direction this band could be taking.

Don't Come Close was recorded around the time of Fragrant World and sometimes pops up on live sets. I agree with the band's thoughts that the song doesn't really fit anywhere. In my opinion, it showcases the best parts of both Odd Blood and Fragrant World. There's the catchy, more upbeat, pop sound from Odd Blood but the song is as polished as the tracks off of Fragrant World. I think it's a good middle ground. I always thought Odd Blood was a little too erratic and Fragrant World was too aurally flat. If this is the direction Yeasayer is moving towards, I'm all for it. I'm also for the band returning to their experimental-folk sound from All Hours Cymbals, but I know that's a pipe dream.

Lyrically, Don't Come Close, isn't as complex as some of their prior tracks. However, Yeasayer has this strange ability to capture poignant feelings with their music, spanning their entire history as a band, and Don't Come Close is no exception. The line currently sticking with me, "people don't change, they only get old", is simple but all-telling. In fact, it may be time to update my Gchat status.

You can download Don't Come Close and the rest of the Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack from iTunes. Or, listen to this Youtube upload below.