Heirs Of Pretension (2003)

Somewhere between the wordy critiques of Rob’s debut and the soulful explorations of the following two falls his fourth effort, Heirs Of Pretension. The 11-track set sees Rob return to philosophical wranglings of the moral variety but with a dose of experience to tether it to reality. The title track imagines historical interactions between such unlikely pairs as Judas and Shakespeare, Jesus and Nietzsche, Aesop and Churchill, all set in the context of the folk tale of the gray goose. “The Sermon” projects a historical speech over a hip-hop beat; “Foot Of Snow” considers a small-town ostracism from the first person; “Exquisite Dish” ponders the attractive nature of evil. Looking for take-aways may be missing the point; perhaps that’s what he’s learned since the anti-de-counterrevolution.

Produced mostly by Spencer Chakedis at Brooklyn’s Balloon Heaven studios, the album also featured two cuts with St. Louis’ DJ Crucial. This album also marks Rob’s first take at playing bass, a noteworthy step as he began to explore more sonic possibilities with drums, lead guitar, and harmonies that would come to define future projects.

Track listing