Monastic Living

Comparing the EP to the band's first studio album, American Specialties (2011), Andrew Savage noted that the release marked a deliberate departure from their previous work: "Monastic Living felt like a cycle in the band starting over again. [Monastic Living and American Specialties] have a very similar relationship in that they are very different sounding than anything else the band has done. [...] It became apparent that we’ve got all this material that is experimental and drone-y and less song-based and more concept-based, so obviously these songs need to have their own record."{{cite web |url=http://www.spin.com/2016/04/parquet-courts-interview-human-performance-andrew-savage-austin-brown/ |title=Ask Yourself the Same Question: An Interview With Parquet Courts |publisher=Spin |date=April 21, 2016 |accessdate=October 11, 2016 |last=Lastson |first=Jeremy D.}}

The release was mostly improvised by the band, with Savage stating: "The first Parquet Courts practice was me and Austin [Brown] getting together and playing guitar at the same time and stumbling into these ideas. Improvisation has always been part of Parquet Courts. We’ve had songs that have been written onstage, like "Bodies Made Of" was written onstage in Portland. Monastic Living was our first time doing pure improvisation."

{{Music ratings

| ADM = 4.8/10{{cite web |title=Parquet Courts: Monastic Living |url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/7681/Parquet-Courts-Monastic-Living.aspx|website=AnyDecentMusic? |accessdate=18 June 2018}}

|MC= 56/100{{Cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/monastic-living-ep/parquet-courts |title=Monastic Living |website=Metacritic}}

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/monastic-living-mw0002868597|author=Paul Simpson|title=Monastic Living - Parquet Courts - Songs, Reviews, Credits|work=AllMusic|access-date=August 2, 2021}}

|rev2 = Consequence

|rev2score = C{{Cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2015/11/album-review-parquet-courts-monastic-living-ep/|author=Ryan Bray|date=November 22, 2015|title=Album Review: Parquet Courts – Monastic Living EP|work=Consequence|access-date=August 2, 2021}}

|rev3 = DIY

|rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://diymag.com/2015/11/13/parquet-courts-monastic-living|author=Jess Bridgeman|date=November 13, 2015|title=Parquet Courts - Monastic Living|work=DIY|access-date=August 2, 2021}}

|rev4 = Exclaim!

|rev4score = 6/10{{cite web | url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/parquet_courts-monastic_living_ep | title=Parquet Courts - Monastic Living | publisher=Exclaim! | date=November 25, 2015 | accessdate=December 17, 2015 | author=Carney, Ben}}

|rev5 = NME

|rev5score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-parquet-courts-16359-308420|author=Louis Pattison|date=December 14, 2015|title=Parquet Courts - 'Monastic Living' EP|work=NME|access-date=August 2, 2021}}

|rev6 = Paste

|rev6score = 6.5/10{{Cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/parquet-courts/parquet-courts-monastic-living-ep-review/|author=Max Savage Levenson|date=December 2, 2015|title=Parquet Courts: Monastic Living EP Review|work=Paste|access-date=August 2, 2021}}

|rev7 = Pitchfork

|rev7score = 4.9/10{{cite web | url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21301-monastic-living-ep/ | title=Parquet Courts: Monastic Living EP | publisher=Pitchfork Media | date=November 25, 2015 | accessdate=December 17, 2015 | author=Monroe, Jazz}}

|rev8 = The Skinny

|rev8score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/ep/parquet-courts-monastic-living|author=Katie Hawthorne|date=November 2, 2015|title=Parquet Courts: Monastic Living - EP review|work=The Skinny|access-date=August 2, 2021}}

|rev9 = Spin

|rev9score = 7/10{{Cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2015/12/review-parquet-courts-monastic-living/|author=Andrew Unterberger|date=December 1, 2015|title=Review: Parquet Courts Art for Their Suffering on 'Monastic Living' EP|work=Spin|access-date=August 2, 2021}}

|rev10 = Under the Radar

|rev10score= 4/10{{Cite web|url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/parquet_courts_monastic_living_ep/|author=Michael Wojtas|date=November 9, 2015|title=Parquet Courts: Monastic Living EP (Rough Trade) Review|work=Under the Radar Magazine|access-date=August 4, 2021}}

}}

In a negative review for Pitchfork, Jazz Monroe criticized the band's change in direction, writing: "The band are touring the album and we can buy it, though I’m unsure why anyone would—perhaps its existence as a paid-for product is part of the statement. What it means for the band’s future is, for now, a mystery, though not the kind it is fun to unravel."{{cite web |url= http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21301-monastic-living-ep/|title=Parquet Courts: Monastic Living |first=Jazz |last=Monroe |work=pitchfork.com |accessdate=2 November 2015}} In a slightly more positive review, Ben Carney of Exclaim! wrote that "ultimately, the project serves best as a check-in, letting fans know where the band's heads are at after a year on the road. And although both fans and newcomers alike would benefit from a more substantial, cohesive project, it's enough for now."

{{Track listing

| all_writing = Parquet Courts

| headline =

| total_length = 32:46

| title1 = No, No, No!

| length1 = 1:10

| title2 = Monastic Living I

| length2 = 6:25

| title3 = Elegy of Colonial Suffering

| length3 = 1:20

| title4 = Frog Pond Plop

| length4 = 1:32

| title5 = Vow of Silence

| length5 = 5:51

| title6 = Monastic Living II

| length6 = 6:33

| title7 = Alms for the Poor

| length7 = 0:45

| title8 = Poverty and Obedience

| length8 = 1:10

| title9 = Prison Conversion

| length9 = 8:00

}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Parquet Courts}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2015 EPs

Category:Parquet Courts albums