Chokebore - Anything Near Water

Anything Near Water is Chokebore's second studio album, released in March 1995 by Amphetamine Reptile Records in LP, CD, and cassette formats. It was recorded by Biff Sanders at Motiv Studios in Los Angeles, CA (USA).

It is the last Chokebore album recorded with the band's original drummer Johnee Kop. He is credited as "none" as he left the band shortly after the release.

Anything Near Water's artwork was designed by Kevin Hanley and Chokebore. The CD booklet features additional band photos by Angela-Jo Brinkmann.

The album was preceded by the limited edition 7-inch single Thin as Clouds, which the band sold on tour.

Anything Near Water was reissued twice on CD, first in 1998 by Boomba Rec to accompany the European release of Black Black, then in September 2002 by Pale Blue. It was out of print for several years before getting reissued on orange vinyl and with new artwork in October 2013 by Vicious Circle to celebrate Chokebore's 20th anniversary.

Releases

Mar 1995: LP/CD/CS – Amphetamine Reptile [AmRep 034] – USA
Mar 1995: LP/CD – Amphetamine Reptile [ARR 61/004] – Europe
1998: CD – Boomba Rec [BOOMBA 006-2] – Europe
Sep 2002: CD – Pale Blue [pale blue 004] – Europe
Oct 2013: LP – Vicious Circle [REVERB129] – Europe

Tracklist

  1. Dust
  2. Comeback Thursday
  3. Bad Things
  4. Thin as Clouds
  5. Foreign Devils on the Silk Road
  6. Weightless
  7. Plus More
  8. Lemonade
  9. Well Fed
  10. Cursor
  11. Wash (You Glow)
  12. Cleaner
  13. JJ Slow
  14. Strangely Folded
  15. Dust

Artwork

Anything Near Water - CD cover Anything Near Water - CD booklet Anything Near Water - CD booklet (back) Anything Near Water - CD back cover

Credits

produced by: Chokebore and Biff Sanders at Motiv in Los Angeles
engineered by: Biff Sanders
design/artwork: Kevin Hanley and Chokebore
band photos: Angela-Jo Brinkmann

all songs written by Chokebore © 1995 chokeboresound
words by Troy

Personnel

  • none - drums
  • J. Frank P. - bass
  • Troy Bruno Von Balthazar - vocals/guitar
  • Jon - guitar

Review

The most obvious thing to say about L.A.'s Chokebore is that it doesn't sound much like the rest of its AmRep labelmates. Of course, the band understands full well the value of wrenching power from its Chokebore guitar dynamics, but rather than lingering on the amount of distortion buzzing through its foot pedals, Chokebore clears out some sonic space for its frontman, Troy Balthazar, who lets out some genuinely tortured yelps all on his own. It's very simple, we live like centipedes and die like wasps, he warbles on Wash (You Glow), a sentiment which instantly becomes the band's regimen and his poetic discourse, as well as the song's hook. Each track on Anything Near Water (the band's second album) is cut from similar emotional and musical fabric, laying low and simmering on Balthazar's manic-dream impressions or scrawling coarse riffs across a steady rhythmic foundation with equal artfulness. But don't be fooled by Chokebore's select aggression or lyrical psyche-probes: Thin as Clouds, Lemonade, Weightless, and Cleaner contain their share of memorable, albeit odd, pop turns, as well.

Colin Helms
CMJ New Music Report #422
April 10th, 1995

Lyrics

Anything Near Water lyrics

Buy Anything Near Water online