October 27th, 2012 
Dan Bogosian 
Artist: Earthbound Ghost
Album: For Demonstration And Disposal
Genre: Alternative
Label: n/a
I can’t imagine what imagine what it feels like to be in Earthbound Ghost – they have a decent size internet following, but are most likely known as the biggest band that Nate Barcalow from Finch is in that isn’t Finch (with the opposite being Reverend Crow). And that’s a shame, because Finch and Earthbound Ghost really have nothing in common other than the voice – Earthbound Ghost isn’t so much a “post-hardcore” band, as they are a rock band that’s playing heavier and has Nate on vocals. For Demonstration and Disposal is dark and foreboding at times, with never really an uplifting, happy moment on the EP – but it is its own musical entity for sure.
The best track on the EP has got to be “Bad Machines” for me; it stands out as a hard rocker that I’ll be listening to over and over. If Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age made whoopee to a synthesizer straight out of Frankie Goes to Hollywood and then laced it with Nate’s sense of melody, Earthbound Ghost would be the end result, and this track is the evidence. Another stand out is “Hellseeker”, which has that abnormal sense of rhythm and mixed guitar and synth that are all over For Demonstration and Disposal.
The problem with this mixture? It’s a grower, not a show-er. The first time I heard this EP, I thought it was good, but nothing I would advise for anyone to buy – check it out if it’s your scene sort of thing. With each passing listen, I found myself liking the release more until I’ve slowly begun to love it, but not passionately so. I’m sure if you gave me another two years of listening to it, I would still only be able to tell you that it was “good”, but that I loved it a lot. It has some intangible quality – it’s not Finch, it’s really not as simple as Queens of the Stone Age and a synthesizer.
Earthbound Ghost are doing their own thing, and it probably fits more in with the mid-90s alternative scene than the 2012 post-hardcore scene they’ll likely be grouped as. Tracks like “So Long” and “A Penitent Cry” could very well of appeared on any Incubus release preceding A Crow Left of the Murder and been at home. Is the world going to like that flavor right now? I don’t know. But a six track release can’t cost much, and it’s growing on me like a fungus. For Demonstration and Disposal is a lyrically strong, musically enriched debut that doesn’t fit in with today, but has a timeless quality. It lacks the immediate pop hook that a lot of people will want to give it the listens it deserves, but be persistent – there’s something there to be had. There’s something there to enjoy.
Rating: 8/10
Review by: Dan Bogosian (Twitter)
But, now that we've cleared that up and you called your high school janitor, know that I quit being a janitor to pursue writing about music. So here I am, and here you are, and hey how are you?
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Good review. It thought it was a great effort for their first release and i’d love to hear a full-length from them in the near future. “Bad Machines” is my fave also.