Parquet Courts
Monastic Living EP
* out of *****
Parquet Courts new EP goes away from everything that has made them the popular darlings of the indie rock world as they experiment with sound in an excruciatingly dull manner on Monastic Living.
Unfortunately creating, then listening back and deciding this was a worthwhile release for the band was a complete mistake. There is little to no craft in the shaping of the sounds and just repetitive drones, electric repeats and feedback that doesn't expand in any direction. Noiserock can be a liberating and rewarding place to dwell and explore but none of that excitement is present.
"No, No, No!" is the only track with lyrics as the quick blast gets distorted and pumps with energy and would be a fine opener to a more invested experimental album. Unfortunately what follows is a mess.
"Monastic Living I" goes the noise repetition route for over seven minutes and the sound travels nowhere. The "Elegy of Colonial Suffering" is straight noise that again doesn't move the needle off of empty while "Frog Pond Plod" is just boring feedback. "Vow of Silence" starts to add electro keys to the distortion, that continues through to "Monastic Living Part II" and the first half of "Alms For The Poor", playing like bored robot muzak.
The oddest thing happens halfway through "Alms For The Poor Though" it is as if the band spliced on a rough rock demo instrumental as a treat to anyone who made it this far into the EP.
The closing tracks are back to formless sound with a police siren ending the album on "Prison Conversion" pretty appropriate as anyone who shelled out money for this offering should feel the victim of a crime.
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If this was a free release, we would have simply skipped it, but charging $14.99 for this effort we needed to point out how bad it was. We didn't mind one of their EP's but RtBE have not understood the hype in the past for this group but they have some decent songs. If you are new to the band check out any other offering besides this one. Still we encourage supporting them, buy the EP if you dare or want to waste 15 bucks and peep some video of an older better song here:
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