Life in a Blender

Life in a Blender serves as Don Ralph’s own creative outlet, where his offbeat vocal delivery brings an eccentric low-register charm that complements the group’s engaging college-rock energy. The lineup draws from Don Ralph’s high-school circle—Dave Moody, Mark Lerner of Rosine, Rebecca Weiner of Patti Smith, Ken Meyer, John Donne, and Al Houghton, a frequent They Might Be Giants collaborator—yet the project stays on pause for long stretches while everyone tends to other musical obligations. Even so, their place inside They Might Be Giants’ extended network earns them a reputation as an endearing pop act whose bright surface conceals a sharply twisted wit and defiant edge. Emerging in the late ’80s, the Brooklyn-based ensemble reconvenes every four to six years to record buoyant rock songs whose jangly guitars and polished production stand in deliberate contrast to the unhinged perspectives of the lyrics. Local attention has followed from deliberately outlandish stunts, including a set at a strip-club art opening and an underwear-clad street rendition of “Stairway to Heaven.” After the release of Motivational Tape #1, an extended recording hiatus followed until the band resurfaced in 2002 with Tell Me I’m Pretty.