I’m hoping to get some guidance from veteran homeschooling parents!
I have been doing “homeschool preschool” for a little over a year with my son. He just turned four.
So far, he’s been doing great! I have just been using a combination of workbooks and printed pages I’ve found online to make sure he’s at the level he’s supposed to be. No fancy materials or anything. He loves “preschool” and really enjoys everything.
So the thing is, he learned to read at about 3.5 years old. Which is amazing. I’m so proud of him. But I don’t know what to do for this coming year of official pre-k. I’ve had him take a few assessments online to see where he’s at reading wise and most say he’s at kindergarten or 1st grade now.
Part of me wants to invest in an actual curriculum like All About Reading for next year so I’m not hindering him and he can continue to grow. But part of me wants to do what we’re doing now and just have him do worksheets and read a lot with me or to me.
I would love advice or anything regarding what you would do as a parent.
The two options I’m leaning towards now are a full curriculum like All About Reading level 2 (that’s what he tested for) OR doing a mix of Evan Moor workbooks, Jady A Phonics Pt 2 and Pt 3 (we have mastered Pt 1) and Explode the Code.
TLDR: my son is reading at 4 years old and I can’t decide to just take it easy for Pre-K this fall or go all in and purchase a higher level curriculum for reading/phonics.

Illiterate ESL/Refugee Students
Hey everyone! I am a teacher in a very difficult situation that I am at a total loss in terms of how to navigate. It brings me a great deal of anxiety because I feel like it is an impossible task and that these kids are not getting what they need from me. I don’t know what I’m looking for here… I need to rant, I want advice, I want other people to share their experiences.
I teach at an inner city middle school with a large population of new immigrants and refugees, primarily from Somalia and central Africa. Some of the kids in my class are pre-literate. They cannot read or write in their native languages, they do not know their numbers, and many have NEVER attended school before. Their parents are also illiterate. Some of these kids could be best described as feral - they are quite violent and aggressive, and unable to function socially in a school setting, which makes sense given the circumstances they grew up in. There are lots of challenging behaviours to deal with on top of the academic issues.
When these new students arrive here, they are attending school for the first time and are thrown into a mainstream class. As one would expect, it is nothing short of disastrous. These kids are not getting the attention or help they need. I feel like I am ignoring them because I have 30 other students. When I do have the chance to work with them one on one, it is at the expense of my other kids’ learning because they require so much attention. I end up having to plan multiple lessons for a single class and I cannot keep up with it. There is no reason a teenager who does not know their letters is in a classroom with students who are writing essays. It is not fair to either group of students.
It is quite a sad situation and my heart goes out to these kids, but I am in no way qualified to deal with them. I am middle school trained and have a class with 30+ other students that I am expected to teach the middle school curriculum to. I am not a phonics teacher and do not know how to teach children how to read. I don’t even think that early childhood literacy strategies would work with teenagers learning to read for the first time. I also cannot translate worksheets into their native languages because they cannot read those either.
Funds have been mismanaged in my district so we do not have ESL classes and the consultants who come in once every few weeks expect you to focus all of your attention on your ESL kids, which is just not feasible.
I feel like I am just a babysitter for some of these kids and that they are not getting anything from being there. I just wish there were some transitional classes for newcomers when they arrived here. I’m in Canada, and we keep bringing in more and more refugees, but offer nothing in the way of supports.
What the hell do I do? I am so overwhelmed. Can a teenager even learn to read for the first time or have they surpassed that zone of development? How have you guys dealt with similar situations?

Hey everyone! I am a teacher in a very difficult situation that I am at a total loss in terms of how to navigate. It brings me a great deal of anxiety because I feel like it is an impossible task and that these kids are not getting what they need from me. I don’t know what I’m looking for here… I need to rant, I want advice, I want other people to share their experiences.
I teach at an inner city middle school with a large population of new immigrants and refugees, primarily from Somalia and central Africa. Some of the kids in my class are pre-literate. They cannot read or write in their native languages, they do not know their numbers, and many have NEVER attended school before. Their parents are also illiterate. Some of these kids could be best described as feral - they are quite violent and aggressive, and unable to function socially in a school setting, which makes sense given the circumstances they grew up in. There are lots of challenging behaviours to deal with on top of the academic issues.
When these new students arrive here, they are attending school for the first time and are thrown into a mainstream class. As one would expect, it is nothing short of disastrous. These kids are not getting the attention or help they need. I feel like I am ignoring them because I have 30 other students. When I do have the chance to work with them one on one, it is at the expense of my other kids’ learning because they require so much attention. I end up having to plan multiple lessons for a single class and I cannot keep up with it. There is no reason a teenager who does not know their letters is in a classroom with students who are writing essays. It is not fair to either group of students.
It is quite a sad situation and my heart goes out to these kids, but I am in no way qualified to deal with them. I am middle school trained and have a class with 30+ other students that I am expected to teach the middle school curriculum to. I am not a phonics teacher and do not know how to teach children how to read. I don’t even think that early childhood literacy strategies would work with teenagers learning to read for the first time. I also cannot translate worksheets into their native languages because they cannot read those either.
Funds have been mismanaged in my district so we do not have ESL classes and the consultants who come in once every few weeks expect you to focus all of your attention on your ESL kids, which is just not feasible.
I feel like I am just a babysitter for some of these kids and that they are not getting anything from being there. I just wish there were some transitional classes for newcomers when they arrived here. I’m in Canada, and we keep bringing in more and more refugees, but offer nothing in the way of supports.
What the hell do I do? I am so overwhelmed. Can a teenager even learn to read for the first time or have they surpassed that zone of development? How have you guys dealt with similar situations?

Previous Post: Ki (2009)
Next Post: Deconstruction (2011)
Devin Townsend Podcast: https://youtu.be/pG0Vdi2vbds
Devin Townsend Website: https://hevydevy.com/discography/addicted/
Alright, here we are back again in 2009, and from now on, we will cover 2 albums per year, so we will have to get used to it. But yeah, previous to this album, we got the (in my opinion) flawless Ki, which was Devin's incursion into bluesy and more quiet music along with his metal, what came after that album however was something completely different, as it was something we had BARELY seen on his catalogue before; poppy music with a happy-go-lucky vibe adhered to it... You see, maybe this came as an intention to get more attention from the masses? Nothing is more far from reality, ya see. The reason why Devin created this album was really simple; it was the other side of the coin from his magnum opus.
Good evening, everyone! And welcome to my favorite way of using my free time dyring the weekends! This time is time for us to deep dive into the beginning of Devin's more poppy and danceable side, comprising the albums of Addicted, Epicloud, Epiclouder (as I told y'all, I am gonna count the bonus albums as standalone albums), Sky Blue, Transcendence, Holding Patterns, Lightwork and Nightwork, so what better place to begin than the start? Today we are deep diving into Addicted, which is probably the heaviest on the entire saga of albums (along with Holding Patterns probably), having most of the songs tuned to open B instead of Open C as Devin Townsend tends to use on MOST of his albums being the few exceptions of the rule Vampira and MAYBE the entirety of Punky Brüster, I don't know I barely listen to it. But yeah, the lower tuning makes the album sound heavier than most of Devin's albums, being more akin to a djent album maybe with the use of the low E string tuned to B being taken to an extreme, just listen to Addicted! and you'll see that the guitar barely has any variation on chords. It's almost entirely pure low E string without any variations.
But then we have the other side of the coin, what makes these albums with Anneke Van Giersbergen so fantastic, and that is the melodic pop danceable aspect that makes these songs so unique among a catalog of progressive songs that barely follow any structure... Songs like Bend It Like Bender! or Supercrush! Because while yeah, those songs are still heavy to an extent, that is not the main objective of the song, as it mostly tries to sound like a most normal poppy song... Happy and upbeat that tries to make you feel like you are in a happy world free of problems and full of love (even when the news tells you otherwise)... And you may ask... Why is that? Why would Devin write an album so happy and upbeat, being that he is someone so pragmatic and realistic? Well... Simple, you see, this was a sort of prelude to Deconstruction because around this time, Devin was making his magnum opus and his heaviest album to date (both musically and lyrically), so he was going through some dark shit, and that along with still struggling with trying to remain sober was really... REALLY hard... So he decided to make 2 albums to counter that darkness... One of them being this one... The other one is Ghost, which will get to when we analyze it (I can barely wait for it).
But ya know, we talk about Anneke this, Anneke that... But how did Anneke Van Giersbergen, one of the most BEAUTIFUL voices I've ever heard in my life, got to work with Devin Townsend? A heavy metal BEAST... Well, it turns out that both of them were fans of each other, to the point of Anneke sending Devin an mail with a cover of Hyperdrive! with her voice... And Devin liked this cover so much that he decided to call Anneke and invite her to play on one of his next projects, and of course, Anneke just couldn't turn down that proposal, so they both got ready, to record Addicted, along with Brian Waddell, Ryan Van Poederooyen and Dave Young, all of them which previously played with The Devin Townsend Band... And guitarist Mark Cimino for the additional guitars on the album... So we have the reasons stated, the songs written, the personel gathered... And the album out.
So in the end... How is Addicted?
Is different, very different from anything Devin has done before, being that the only songs that come close in terms of structure are Life, Stagnant, Material, Christeen, Slow Me Down and Hyperdrive... So, at the time, this ended up being a completely new experience even for the most experienced Devin Townsend fans, a heavy album that was also really melodic and happy, with a lot of keyboards as well that made the experience incredibly different... But when I say different, I ain't saying bad... Not one bit, no sir... This album is FANTASTIC from top to bottom, being that the only song that I don't enjoy from beginning to end is Awake. The rest of the tracklist? Pure bangers that each one shine for different reasons; Addicted! is the heavy one out of the bunch, Bend It Like Bender! has probably the best chorus on the entire album, Supercrush! has the perfect mix of heaviness and poppiness out of all the songs on the album, Hyperdrive! is a really space-y one and so on, each song has something to offer and not a single one of it has a single moment in which I am bored or I don't get to enjoy myself because my god, Devin doesn't lie when he says that this album is danceable. I dance the shit outta this album when I listen to it, to the point of which my always looks at me like "are you you having a stroke?" NO MOM, I AM NOT HAVING A STROKE!!! I AM LISTENING TO BEND IT LIKE BENDER!!!
And honestly? There ain't not much else to this album, besides the fact that it is really poppy and electronic and heavy, it is a really straighforward album about happiness and love and such, there's not more to it and honestly? That's pretty damn fine, I don't need anything else because during the 46:44 seconds this album lasts, I don't get bored or feel like I want to listen to something else, the albums promises you a solid experience and that's it! And it's pretty darn good! I enjoy it, and while it isn't my favorite on the saga of poppy DTP albums, it is my second favorte and it has earned that placed, because like I said, something less is more, and in this case, looking for something more accesible, less ambitious and equally interesting was the perfect approach for Devin, which ended up giving an album that... While simple, it is good enough to be among someone's favorites. Honestly? While I can't give this album a perfect rating because it is rather simple among a discography of incredibly developed albums... It is still an S tier.
Thanks, everyone, for reading! Please let me know your opinion and/or your experience with this album! Next we will discuss probably the best Devin album to date and one of the best progressive metal albums of the last decade... It's time... For Deconstruction.
S+: - Ki - Terria. - Synchestra. - The New Black. - Accelerated Evolution. - Alien.
S: - Ziltoid The Omniscient. - Ocean Machine: Biomech. - Addicted.
A: - City. - Infinity.
B: - Physicist. - SYL
C: - The Hummer
D: - Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing. - Devlab. - Punky Brüster - Cooked On Phonics.

Previous Post: Ki (2009)
Next Post: Deconstruction (2011)
Devin Townsend Podcast: https://youtu.be/pG0Vdi2vbds
Devin Townsend Website: https://hevydevy.com/discography/addicted/
Alright, here we are back again in 2009, and from now on, we will cover 2 albums per year, so we will have to get used to it. But yeah, previous to this album, we got the (in my opinion) flawless Ki, which was Devin's incursion into bluesy and more quiet music along with his metal, what came after that album however was something completely different, as it was something we had BARELY seen on his catalogue before; poppy music with a happy-go-lucky vibe adhered to it... You see, maybe this came as an intention to get more attention from the masses? Nothing is more far from reality, ya see. The reason why Devin created this album was really simple; it was the other side of the coin from his magnum opus.
Good evening, everyone! And welcome to my favorite way of using my free time dyring the weekends! This time is time for us to deep dive into the beginning of Devin's more poppy and danceable side, comprising the albums of Addicted, Epicloud, Epiclouder (as I told y'all, I am gonna count the bonus albums as standalone albums), Sky Blue, Transcendence, Holding Patterns, Lightwork and Nightwork, so what better place to begin than the start? Today we are deep diving into Addicted, which is probably the heaviest on the entire saga of albums (along with Holding Patterns probably), having most of the songs tuned to open B instead of Open C as Devin Townsend tends to use on MOST of his albums being the few exceptions of the rule Vampira and MAYBE the entirety of Punky Brüster, I don't know I barely listen to it. But yeah, the lower tuning makes the album sound heavier than most of Devin's albums, being more akin to a djent album maybe with the use of the low E string tuned to B being taken to an extreme, just listen to Addicted! and you'll see that the guitar barely has any variation on chords. It's almost entirely pure low E string without any variations.
But then we have the other side of the coin, what makes these albums with Anneke Van Giersbergen so fantastic, and that is the melodic pop danceable aspect that makes these songs so unique among a catalog of progressive songs that barely follow any structure... Songs like Bend It Like Bender! or Supercrush! Because while yeah, those songs are still heavy to an extent, that is not the main objective of the song, as it mostly tries to sound like a most normal poppy song... Happy and upbeat that tries to make you feel like you are in a happy world free of problems and full of love (even when the news tells you otherwise)... And you may ask... Why is that? Why would Devin write an album so happy and upbeat, being that he is someone so pragmatic and realistic? Well... Simple, you see, this was a sort of prelude to Deconstruction because around this time, Devin was making his magnum opus and his heaviest album to date (both musically and lyrically), so he was going through some dark shit, and that along with still struggling with trying to remain sober was really... REALLY hard... So he decided to make 2 albums to counter that darkness... One of them being this one... The other one is Ghost, which will get to when we analyze it (I can barely wait for it).
But ya know, we talk about Anneke this, Anneke that... But how did Anneke Van Giersbergen, one of the most BEAUTIFUL voices I've ever heard in my life, got to work with Devin Townsend? A heavy metal BEAST... Well, it turns out that both of them were fans of each other, to the point of Anneke sending Devin an mail with a cover of Hyperdrive! with her voice... And Devin liked this cover so much that he decided to call Anneke and invite her to play on one of his next projects, and of course, Anneke just couldn't turn down that proposal, so they both got ready, to record Addicted, along with Brian Waddell, Ryan Van Poederooyen and Dave Young, all of them which previously played with The Devin Townsend Band... And guitarist Mark Cimino for the additional guitars on the album... So we have the reasons stated, the songs written, the personel gathered... And the album out.
So in the end... How is Addicted?
Is different, very different from anything Devin has done before, being that the only songs that come close in terms of structure are Life, Stagnant, Material, Christeen, Slow Me Down and Hyperdrive... So, at the time, this ended up being a completely new experience even for the most experienced Devin Townsend fans, a heavy album that was also really melodic and happy, with a lot of keyboards as well that made the experience incredibly different... But when I say different, I ain't saying bad... Not one bit, no sir... This album is FANTASTIC from top to bottom, being that the only song that I don't enjoy from beginning to end is Awake. The rest of the tracklist? Pure bangers that each one shine for different reasons; Addicted! is the heavy one out of the bunch, Bend It Like Bender! has probably the best chorus on the entire album, Supercrush! has the perfect mix of heaviness and poppiness out of all the songs on the album, Hyperdrive! is a really space-y one and so on, each song has something to offer and not a single one of it has a single moment in which I am bored or I don't get to enjoy myself because my god, Devin doesn't lie when he says that this album is danceable. I dance the shit outta this album when I listen to it, to the point of which my always looks at me like "are you you having a stroke?" NO MOM, I AM NOT HAVING A STROKE!!! I AM LISTENING TO BEND IT LIKE BENDER!!!
And honestly? There ain't not much else to this album, besides the fact that it is really poppy and electronic and heavy, it is a really straighforward album about happiness and love and such, there's not more to it and honestly? That's pretty damn fine, I don't need anything else because during the 46:44 seconds this album lasts, I don't get bored or feel like I want to listen to something else, the albums promises you a solid experience and that's it! And it's pretty darn good! I enjoy it, and while it isn't my favorite on the saga of poppy DTP albums, it is my second favorte and it has earned that placed, because like I said, something less is more, and in this case, looking for something more accesible, less ambitious and equally interesting was the perfect approach for Devin, which ended up giving an album that... While simple, it is good enough to be among someone's favorites. Honestly? While I can't give this album a perfect rating because it is rather simple among a discography of incredibly developed albums... It is still an S tier.
Thanks, everyone, for reading! Please let me know your opinion and/or your experience with this album! Next we will discuss probably the best Devin album to date and one of the best progressive metal albums of the last decade... It's time... For Deconstruction.
S+: - Ki - Terria. - Synchestra. - The New Black. - Accelerated Evolution. - Alien.
S: - Ziltoid The Omniscient. - Ocean Machine: Biomech. - Addicted.
A: - City. - Infinity.
B: - Physicist. - SYL
C: - The Hummer
D: - Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing. - Devlab. - Punky Brüster - Cooked On Phonics.

My children are turning 18 in two weeks. Today, I got a modification order from my ex wife demanding that I continue to pay child support until age 23. One plans to go to college, but the other one plans to go to work (she’s trying to convince him to go to “technical college). She wants regular child support to continue above and beyond post secondary support. I thought this would not happen unless my children were disabled.
As further background, when I was employed, I made about 1/3rd of what my ex wife makes. I have been unemployed on and off since 2022 because my industry was hit hard by the interest rate hikes (some of the others in my trade have been fully unemployed since 2022). I have applied to several jobs and just got one for $40k less per year than I was making at the last child support modification.
At our last modification she only declared her “base pay” because she “didn’t have” her K1 form to show her partnership income (she is a managing partner in a national accounting firm). She also claimed she was paying $600 a month for health insurance for our kids, while also still requiring me to provide health insurance for our kids. Her base pay is less than half of her full income for the year.
Even with this (her not providing income and my making more), my percentage for extra expenses was 32% and hers was 68%.
I also offered extra child support at the last modification (through mediation), because I wanted to not have to speak with her by phone and to change the holiday schedule. She agreed to take the money, but then after said she had no intention of following those provisions and tried her hardest not to (always calling me on the phone and coming up with every excuse in the book not to follow the holiday schedule).
Her summons for a modification said her “income has changed” and indicated she included her income worksheet info, which she didn’t.
Even when I was unemployed, I always paid my child support on time…even going into debt to do so. She knows this and knows I have been unemployed.
Since I’ve been unemployed and also pay $30k a year in childcare for my younger children, I cannot afford a lawyer. So, my question is, how common is it to have to pay child support to the other parent in Washington state after kids turn 18?
My agreement says that child support ends at graduation (next month), but my ex wife can request “post secondary support”, but I didn’t think that included child support payments?
For further context, my kids have told me her parents are paying for “college” for them, so not even sure my ex wife is paying a dime. I put $16,000 that I received from an inheritance, in a college account for my kids 2009, but my ex wife (who I was still married to at the time), cashed out the account because she “needed it” for her business.
My ex wife was verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive throughout our marriage. She’s done nothing but harass me since we divorced. I just want to be done with her when my kids turn 18.

Hello,
I have a friend in Latin America who is an English teacher for kindergarteners. She contacted me because she recently learned that kids in the USA are taught phonetics and phonics growing up, while people in Latin America are not. Now she wants to learn how to teach these topics and maybe take a course online or watch videos that teach her this. She also wants to know where she can find resources such as worksheets, flashcards, and stuff that she can print out for her students.

Previous Post: Ziltoid The Omniscient (2007)
Next Post: Addicted (2009)
Devin Townsend Podcast: https://youtu.be/pr5e9S_9aJw
Devin Townsend Website: https://hevydevy.com/discography/ki/
2009, things had ocurred to our Strapping Young Dad in the last three years; he became a father, he finished Strapping Young Lad, he chose to retire from music, he went clean and sober, he shaved his head... Overall, his life changed dramatically, not for the best, not for the worst... It just changed. He was supposed to leave music and be a better father and husband, so we could say that Devin was gone for good... Hevy Devy was over... Except... Ya know Bill Bruford? King Crimson's and Yes' drummer? I once told my mom that he retired in 2009, and he was never gonna play ever again on anything... Well... My mom told me something that summarizes perfectly Devin Townsend future; "Once you're into the world of music, you belong there, you mind, body and soul belongs to music, because that's what defined your life." And while it took me some time to understand those words and to actually believe them... In the end? I know my mom was not only right, but she was GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING RIGHT, for Devin even after a two year hiatus decided to start another musical project which would not only redefine him... It would redefine what being a prog musician is about.
Well hello, welcome back to this series of posts where we go through the entire catalog of everyone's favorite bald guy; Mr. Hevy Devy, today we are gonna talk about an album that very few people talk about... But (spoiler alert) is not only my favorite from him, but is also one of the albums that has defined my life the most ever since I heard it, we are talking about the Ying Yang album, the very first album from The Devin Townsend Project, you see, as I mentioned on the Terria analysis, I am a person that has been through some heavy shit on his life, and this at the end of the day has made me someone incredibly aggressive and with anger management issues, but I am at the same time someone who just wishes to be happy, some who just wants to enjoy life with everyone I love while at the same I do the things I love... And well, Devin was the same person back in the day when he made this album.
Because you see, as I have told you before, Devin went sober around the time he made Ziltoid The Omniscient, being a boost of inspiration that he got from always wanting to make a puppet... But after that, he still got a studio on his own home, he still got equipment, he still got all of that... But... No more drugs, he just wasn't into drugs anymore, it reminded him of worse times, so he wanted them to become a thing of the past... But at the same time Devin had an issue, a very small issue; he haven't wrote things sober in YEARS, since 1995 probably, so after almost 15 years of always writing while on the influence of substances, it was obvious for him that if he wanted to write music... It was just not on him... Or that is what would've happened if Devin wasn't so stubborn and decided to always finish what he committed to... So he began working on song after song after... Addressing a lot of musical styles, trying to tie them all together on 4 styles; pop, metal, blues, and ambient... This one... So after creating those songs... The time came, Devin decided that he was gonna compress those songs on 4 albums, according to each style, and for the first style, he chose blues and began working on Ki.
This album is more on the side about different topics, but we can say that the topic that is adressed the most on this album is simple; tension and release. Devin wrote this album, having in mind how he just overcamed an addiction that conditioned his life up to that point, being that the addiction to weed, tobacco, alcohol, and such. So after finding himself free of those chains, he wanted to write about those addictions and how the path to sobriety is one which is full of aggressiveness, pain, and anger... But also hope, happiness, and tranquility, for it is not something one does to stop being happy... One fights against the addictions to overcome the pain and the horrible lifestyles, and the path is horrible, yes... But it is for the best, and to represent that side, Devin wrote songs on different styles to represent all those moods. Like, I say the album is a blues one, and that is true to an extent, for this album is not entirely blues, it also has progressive rock, ambient, jazz rock, and acoustic... However it does not come without its fair share of violence, for we have songs that escalate from peaceful moments to incredibly aggressive moods (being those Gato, Heaven's End or Disruptr), representing perfectly in my opinion how you can EASILY fall from grace and become an aggresive person that before that was quite chill and completely sociable... That's what Devin intended to deliver thematically.
Lets talk about the lineup of this album, for it is AMAZING. We have Devin, OBVIOUSLY, but we have a familiar face doing an apparition here, Mr. Dave Young from The Devin Townsend Band, the keyboard player, is back once again to provide those keyboards and that piano to this record, and while I appreciate that, his forte comes from playing the ambience sections and delivering those in such a way that gives this album an aura hard to emulate... And other heroes we have here are Jean Savoie and Mr. Duris Maxwell, the first being a bass player that played on a Beatles cover song and yeah, he was good, nothing too special but good... The later was someone that I would lie if I told you I know something else from him besides Ki, but what matters about his background is the fact that he was NOT a heavy metal player, but a blues player, so he was already perfect for job for the songs that were about blues... And the rest of the songs? Having that lack of experience gave him a lot of room to improvise and try to deliver something that he "believed" was hard music, so he gave us that personal touch... And honestly? I bet that's one of the reasons I love this album so much... Well... That along... Her... Ché Aimee Dorval... Which we'll talk about when we go into the proper analysis.
And you know what? Fuck it, I can't talk more about this album if I don't go into a full on analysis, so lets get to it.
Alright first thing I want to talk about... Her... MY VERY PERSONAL FAVORITE Devin Townsend female singer... Ché Aimee Dorval... Look, I know Anneke Van Giersbergen is the favorite of all Devin Townsend fans, but not for me, if there is something I will ALWAYS be eternally grateful with Mr. Devin Townsend is how he introduced me to one of the most BEAUTIFUL voices I've ever heard on my life like seriously... I can't praise here enough because she's only present on Gato and Heaven's End (and those appearances are GLORIOUS for me), but just wait for Casualties Of Cool... Just wait for it. Meanwhile, the album itself... I'll just say it right away, just like The Hummer, this album ain't for everyone, there's people who give this album a five... And then there's me... Who thinks this album is not only good but an absolute masterpiece, because this album has resonated so hard with me that it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to ignore the message this album tries to deliver, having those chill and quiet moments I absolutely love on songs like Coast or Terminal, which feel so dramatic and personal that you can't help but feel empathy towards Townsend for the way he unbottles his feelings about all the bullshit he has lived through.
But when looking at the other face of the coin... We have songs like Disruptr, Gato or Heaven's End which are not sad, melodramatic songs that feel like Devin opening his heart... These three feel more like an absolute middle finger to the face of the listener, because we get that taste of violence that Devin is so used to, except it hits us more this time, why? Simple. Because this one is supposed to be a quiet album, a more relaxed one... So getting that violence is not something we expected... Good, that's life you see, you never expect to see yourself breaking down and sowing violence unto others... You don't want that. There's not a single day in which I wake up and say "Ummm yeah... I want to make my family and friends feel bad and like pieces of shit"... And then again, it happens, because we aren't always in control of our lives... Without us wanting to... We end up hurting the ones we love or even worse... We hurt ourselves, as stated in the song Trainfire which talks about Devin's addiction to pornography.
But not everything is lost... That's the message that this album gives us on the last 3 tracks of the album, which are not only quiet, but they also carry an aura of optimism if you ask me, a sort of aura that helps you manage to carry on after all the sadness, pain and anger this album made you go through... There's light at the end of the tunnel. We might've gone through the worst shit of all time... But we are still here, we carry on and we try to improve... Because we are still humans... It is on our nature... ... ... Also, the ending for Ki (song) ALWAYS gives me goosebumps. It's literally perfection made a song, and it perfectly encapsulates all the vibes and the aura this album carries.
Honestly? This is my favorite Devin Townsend album, not because of how skillful it is, nor is it because of how melodically satisfying it is... Nor is it because of its heaviness. It is because of how much I connect with this album and how much this album has helped me through some of the worst times of my life, Devin made an album as his way to unbottle his feelings, insecurities and pain, and also as a way to help everyone else going through some heavy shit that... While yeah... Things can be hard, and life can be shit... There is ALWAYS room for improvement, and we can always get better.
We are gonna see more of this quiet bluesy style on Casualties of Cool, but that's it for now!
Thanks, everyone, for reading! Please let me know your opinion and/or your experience with this album! Next time we are gonna talk about Addicted and how this saga of "cheesy" albums began with Anneke Van Giersbergen as a fan favorite singer! Until next time!
Album rankings:
S+: - Ki - Terria. - Synchestra. - The New Black. - Accelerated Evolution. - Alien.
S: - Ziltoid The Omniscient. - Ocean Machine: Biomech.
A: - City. - Infinity.
B: - Physicist. - SYL
C: - The Hummer
D: - Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing. - Devlab. - Punky Brüster - Cooked On Phonics.

Previous Post: Ziltoid The Omniscient (2007)
Next Post: Addicted (2009)
Devin Townsend Podcast: https://youtu.be/pr5e9S_9aJw
Devin Townsend Website: https://hevydevy.com/discography/ki/
2009, things had ocurred to our Strapping Young Dad in the last three years; he became a father, he finished Strapping Young Lad, he chose to retire from music, he went clean and sober, he shaved his head... Overall, his life changed dramatically, not for the best, not for the worst... It just changed. He was supposed to leave music and be a better father and husband, so we could say that Devin was gone for good... Hevy Devy was over... Except... Ya know Bill Bruford? King Crimson's and Yes' drummer? I once told my mom that he retired in 2009, and he was never gonna play ever again on anything... Well... My mom told me something that summarizes perfectly Devin Townsend future; "Once you're into the world of music, you belong there, you mind, body and soul belongs to music, because that's what defined your life." And while it took me some time to understand those words and to actually believe them... In the end? I know my mom was not only right, but she was GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING RIGHT, for Devin even after a two year hiatus decided to start another musical project which would not only redefine him... It would redefine what being a prog musician is about.
Well hello, welcome back to this series of posts where we go through the entire catalog of everyone's favorite bald guy; Mr. Hevy Devy, today we are gonna talk about an album that very few people talk about... But (spoiler alert) is not only my favorite from him, but is also one of the albums that has defined my life the most ever since I heard it, we are talking about the Ying Yang album, the very first album from The Devin Townsend Project, you see, as I mentioned on the Terria analysis, I am a person that has been through some heavy shit on his life, and this at the end of the day has made me someone incredibly aggressive and with anger management issues, but I am at the same time someone who just wishes to be happy, some who just wants to enjoy life with everyone I love while at the same I do the things I love... And well, Devin was the same person back in the day when he made this album.
Because you see, as I have told you before, Devin went sober around the time he made Ziltoid The Omniscient, being a boost of inspiration that he got from always wanting to make a puppet... But after that, he still got a studio on his own home, he still got equipment, he still got all of that... But... No more drugs, he just wasn't into drugs anymore, it reminded him of worse times, so he wanted them to become a thing of the past... But at the same time Devin had an issue, a very small issue; he haven't wrote things sober in YEARS, since 1995 probably, so after almost 15 years of always writing while on the influence of substances, it was obvious for him that if he wanted to write music... It was just not on him... Or that is what would've happened if Devin wasn't so stubborn and decided to always finish what he committed to... So he began working on song after song after... Addressing a lot of musical styles, trying to tie them all together on 4 styles; pop, metal, blues, and ambient... This one... So after creating those songs... The time came, Devin decided that he was gonna compress those songs on 4 albums, according to each style, and for the first style, he chose blues and began working on Ki.
This album is more on the side about different topics, but we can say that the topic that is adressed the most on this album is simple; tension and release. Devin wrote this album, having in mind how he just overcamed an addiction that conditioned his life up to that point, being that the addiction to weed, tobacco, alcohol, and such. So after finding himself free of those chains, he wanted to write about those addictions and how the path to sobriety is one which is full of aggressiveness, pain, and anger... But also hope, happiness, and tranquility, for it is not something one does to stop being happy... One fights against the addictions to overcome the pain and the horrible lifestyles, and the path is horrible, yes... But it is for the best, and to represent that side, Devin wrote songs on different styles to represent all those moods. Like, I say the album is a blues one, and that is true to an extent, for this album is not entirely blues, it also has progressive rock, ambient, jazz rock, and acoustic... However it does not come without its fair share of violence, for we have songs that escalate from peaceful moments to incredibly aggressive moods (being those Gato, Heaven's End or Disruptr), representing perfectly in my opinion how you can EASILY fall from grace and become an aggresive person that before that was quite chill and completely sociable... That's what Devin intended to deliver thematically.
Lets talk about the lineup of this album, for it is AMAZING. We have Devin, OBVIOUSLY, but we have a familiar face doing an apparition here, Mr. Dave Young from The Devin Townsend Band, the keyboard player, is back once again to provide those keyboards and that piano to this record, and while I appreciate that, his forte comes from playing the ambience sections and delivering those in such a way that gives this album an aura hard to emulate... And other heroes we have here are Jean Savoie and Mr. Duris Maxwell, the first being a bass player that played on a Beatles cover song and yeah, he was good, nothing too special but good... The later was someone that I would lie if I told you I know something else from him besides Ki, but what matters about his background is the fact that he was NOT a heavy metal player, but a blues player, so he was already perfect for job for the songs that were about blues... And the rest of the songs? Having that lack of experience gave him a lot of room to improvise and try to deliver something that he "believed" was hard music, so he gave us that personal touch... And honestly? I bet that's one of the reasons I love this album so much... Well... That along... Her... Ché Aimee Dorval... Which we'll talk about when we go into the proper analysis.
And you know what? Fuck it, I can't talk more about this album if I don't go into a full on analysis, so lets get to it.
Alright first thing I want to talk about... Her... MY VERY PERSONAL FAVORITE Devin Townsend female singer... Ché Aimee Dorval... Look, I know Anneke Van Giersbergen is the favorite of all Devin Townsend fans, but not for me, if there is something I will ALWAYS be eternally grateful with Mr. Devin Townsend is how he introduced me to one of the most BEAUTIFUL voices I've ever heard on my life like seriously... I can't praise here enough because she's only present on Gato and Heaven's End (and those appearances are GLORIOUS for me), but just wait for Casualties Of Cool... Just wait for it. Meanwhile, the album itself... I'll just say it right away, just like The Hummer, this album ain't for everyone, there's people who give this album a five... And then there's me... Who thinks this album is not only good but an absolute masterpiece, because this album has resonated so hard with me that it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to ignore the message this album tries to deliver, having those chill and quiet moments I absolutely love on songs like Coast or Terminal, which feel so dramatic and personal that you can't help but feel empathy towards Townsend for the way he unbottles his feelings about all the bullshit he has lived through.
But when looking at the other face of the coin... We have songs like Disruptr, Gato or Heaven's End which are not sad, melodramatic songs that feel like Devin opening his heart... These three feel more like an absolute middle finger to the face of the listener, because we get that taste of violence that Devin is so used to, except it hits us more this time, why? Simple. Because this one is supposed to be a quiet album, a more relaxed one... So getting that violence is not something we expected... Good, that's life you see, you never expect to see yourself breaking down and sowing violence unto others... You don't want that. There's not a single day in which I wake up and say "Ummm yeah... I want to make my family and friends feel bad and like pieces of shit"... And then again, it happens, because we aren't always in control of our lives... Without us wanting to... We end up hurting the ones we love or even worse... We hurt ourselves, as stated in the song Trainfire which talks about Devin's addiction to pornography.
But not everything is lost... That's the message that this album gives us on the last 3 tracks of the album, which are not only quiet, but they also carry an aura of optimism if you ask me, a sort of aura that helps you manage to carry on after all the sadness, pain and anger this album made you go through... There's light at the end of the tunnel. We might've gone through the worst shit of all time... But we are still here, we carry on and we try to improve... Because we are still humans... It is on our nature... ... ... Also, the ending for Ki (song) ALWAYS gives me goosebumps. It's literally perfection made a song, and it perfectly encapsulates all the vibes and the aura this album carries.
Honestly? This is my favorite Devin Townsend album, not because of how skillful it is, nor is it because of how melodically satisfying it is... Nor is it because of its heaviness. It is because of how much I connect with this album and how much this album has helped me through some of the worst times of my life, Devin made an album as his way to unbottle his feelings, insecurities and pain, and also as a way to help everyone else going through some heavy shit that... While yeah... Things can be hard, and life can be shit... There is ALWAYS room for improvement, and we can always get better.
We are gonna see more of this quiet bluesy style on Casualties of Cool, but that's it for now!
Thanks, everyone, for reading! Please let me know your opinion and/or your experience with this album! Next time we are gonna talk about Addicted and how this saga of "cheesy" albums began with Anneke Van Giersbergen as a fan favorite singer! Until next time!
Album rankings:
S+: - Ki - Terria. - Synchestra. - The New Black. - Accelerated Evolution. - Alien.
S: - Ziltoid The Omniscient. - Ocean Machine: Biomech.
A: - City. - Infinity.
B: - Physicist. - SYL
C: - The Hummer
D: - Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing. - Devlab. - Punky Brüster - Cooked On Phonics.

I am an experienced English teacher from the UK. I came to South Korea just before Coronavirus started, and I have been here ever since.
I spent a large part of that time at a large hagwon (language school), teaching 5-7 year-olds in the mornings, and some older kids in the afternoon. I gained some satisfaction from that job, although there were occasionally issues.
That job ended. Now, I am at a different kindergarten. I am teaching 9-5, whereas, I taught from 9 to 6 before. In some ways, it is a lot easier at the new place. However, sometimes, rules are less clear.
The question I have is about the age groups. Previously, I taught 6-7 year-olds at an English language kindergarten. Now, the main focus is on 3-5 year-olds. Some of my classes have a story book chosen by the Korean teacher, and nothing else. But I have to find materials to go with that. I am starting to do so. I look at Cocomelon, Super Simple Songs, and the Singing Walrus, for songs. But I rejected some for being too difficult.
I understand that these classes need to be more physical and interactive. But can you recommend websites for songs related to 5 years old and under? Also, can you tell me where I can get worksheets I can use with those younger kids. Too many worksheets assume some literacy. I am teaching classes based on themes, not phonics. Thank you for your assistance.

My son just turned 4 last month. I am planning on having him start transitional Kindergarten in a few months (we live in CA). To help him prepare, I signed him up for a city program (3-5 year olds) for 2 hours twice a week where they practice writing their names, tracing, counting, etc. Every time I pick him up, the teacher says he did no work and his worksheets are all blank.
When we are at home, I try to practice writing, letters, etc. and he refuses for me as well. The only thing I can do to motivate him is that he must write his name or some other small activity before he can watch a tv show.
He absolutely loves building, working with tools, and being outdoors, but he could care less about letters and numbers. I’m concerned that if he goes to TK and he continues to refuse to work, it will harm his confidence and the situation will get worse.
Does anyone have suggestions for motivating him? I’ve tried to do fun activities, candy rewards, toys, BOB books, Hooked on Phonics, etc. I’m not sure if I’m just approaching everything incorrectly. Does anyone have any tips or resources they suggest?
Edit:
Thank you all for your feedback here. I think my takeaway from all of your comments is that he is not developmentally ready for writing, worksheets, etc. I will say, I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure that he stays on track and doesn't fall behind. When we go to this class it just breaks my mom heart seeing all of these kids walking out and the teacher telling the parents how great their kids did, but she hands me blank paperwork saying he did nothing. It just makes me feel like I'm doing things wrong, but he is probably right where he needs to be developmentally.

Previous Post: The Hummer (2006)
Next Post: Ki (2009)
Devin Townsend Podcast: https://youtu.be/kpNUDSeWJ70
Devin Townsend Website: https://hevydevy.com/discography/ziltoid-the-omniscient/
Greetings, humans! It is I! Not Ziltoid... Sadly, he couldn't attend this meeting. He was too busy hosting a concert and recording his third solo album! So I decided to take over his place and decide to expose what was his first step in the great music world! His very first album, which comes from a very humble human, a human called Devin Townsend, whom wanted to expose the great adventures of our favorite omniscient puppet from beyond the omniverse through a magnificent piece of music! But I warn you! If you don't feel ready for what is yet to come, this might be a lot for you to stomach, so you better be prepared! Grab your coffee! Grab your snacks! Even grab your favorite puppet or pet and get your headphones, sit down, relax, play the album Ziltoid The Omniscient™ while you read me! Are you ready? Indeed... Let's jump on it!
Hello everyone, and welcome back once a-FUCKING-gain to this beautiful section that I love so much where I get to talk about all and each one of the Devin Townsend albums... This time is the time for me to talk about a fan favorite, an album that people just never stop talking about, and with reason, I should say! For this is an album that manages to capture the essence of having both good music and personality while at the same time being a parody! Which is something really hard to achieve, I must say, for when people try to create albums that are parodies and have personalities usually... Those come out as cringe or, at the very least, they aren't funny or musically engaging at all. They usually fail in one regard while succeeding in the other or the other way around, the fail in both ways and don't ge to engage with people at all... Well... This one is different! And I'm gonna spoil it for you already since it is so fucking obvious; this album is fantastic, maybe not perfect as some people dare to say, but it is a perfect example of how to make an album that you can't take seriously but at the same time you can bring yourself to enjoy. Has anyone seen Jojo's Bizzare Adventure? Well, I tend to compare Ziltoid The Omniscient with Jojo's in the sense that, while being at times inconsistent and not taking itself too seriously and being way too over the top, it has personality and a charm that is hard to put into words, the only thing that I can say is that while both aren't perfect, they don't need to be, they don't aspire to be perfect, they just want to tell you a story while at the same time making sure you enjoy all the time you spend with them!
But like... Enough exposition... What has led us to be here? What made Devin write and create this album? Well, a bunch of factors, first of 'em is the fact that this is the first album that Devin creates being COMPLETELY sober, and the reason for him to go clean is factor number 2; he became a father (oh yeah, we can officially call him Strapping Young Dad), and he wanted his kids to have the best version of him he could achieve, so after finishing the touring for SYL last album and The Devin Townsend Band, he decided to quit music and be there for his family all that he could, but of course, he still had a bunch of spare time to do stuff and such, so he needed a hobby to use his time upon... This led us to him having a dream when he was a kid. Back in the day, he saw a movie (older than me, btw) called The Dark Crystal, which had puppets as main characters, which led Devin to think; "Hey, I should make one and even maybe show it to my children!" So Devin began assembling one with Clay on the free time he had (between feedings, naps, and diapers). Ya know, at first, it was just a silly hobby, which was just supposed to carry Devin through this world of being a sober father... But soon it actually took form, and he created something else... And when Devin put the eyes on it... It finally came to life... ZILTOID!!! THE OMNISCIENT!!! From his words, he basically heard on his mind his theme song (ZTO as we know it on the album), and then it just became a thing.
That was just the first part of the story, but there's something I haven't explored before since Ocean Machine: Biomech or Infinity. Do you know what that is? Costs from the albums and how successful the album Devin made were. You see, the SYL albums were really expensive to make, and so were the Devin Townsend Band albums. I mean, not exactly millions of dollars, but it sure were some thousand (for example, The New Black was one of Devin's most expensive albums at the time... Having a cost of 80,000 bucks, which actually saw a credit after Ozzfest and Download Festival but was still a really high price), so when Devin began all this idea of this muldimensional being that was a puppet, he basically also set himself a simple goal; to make a good record with just a few hundred bucks. So he put hands to work, also setting some cliches/habits he would use in the future to record albums with his new DTP, using, and I quote; "Protools as a sketchbook that eventually ends up being a final product". Working both on his free time and past bedtime to write and record this new record he had in mind but also really struggling to keep himself as sober as he could for the very first time in a long time while on the making of an album, so this was also a very important album for him on that regard (think of it just like Mike Portnoy writing the 12 Step Suite with Dream Theater to cope with his alcoholism).
In the end? The album ended up being kind of a metaphor, for it was an album that Devin used to let a lot of negative feelings and negativity flow towards the outside, but more in the sense that, he could unbottle those "rockstar" things he wanted to do with SYL but never did because he feel they were too silly and/or uncomfortable for Devin to do in the first place, but because a puppet (Ziltoid) was doing it and not Devin himself, Devin felt good doing them, he didn't feel any regrets and as a matter of fact like I stated, were gratificating for him. Being a major breakthrough for Devin both in an artistic way (setting the way albums like Deconstruction or the sequel Dark Matters would turn out), and in a personal way, making him a "better" artist in the sense of finally at long last managing to overcome his addictions.
But that's enough backstory, we now have to talk about the music itself, do we?
Alright, polemic opinion here... Ziltoid is a fantastic album and one of Devin's most ambitious releases to date... BUT!!! I don't see it among Devin's masterpieces, I see it more as a flawed piece of art rather than a masterpiece... While it is a really strong album and I enjoy it ALL THE WAY from ZTO through Tall Latte, I think it carries the weight of still being a parody album that is spectacular and almost flawless if we compare it among parody albums because as I have stated before, this one manages to be both a good satire and an enjoyable listen, but that doesn't change the fact that AT TIMES it can get cringe, not too cringe but cringe indeed... This is a little problem now that doesn't kill the album if you ask me... But on Dark Matters... Ooooohhh... We'll get to you eventually... But yeah, basically what makes me not give this album a 10 is the narration, which at times it gets cringe but everything else honestly? Let's talk about it.
To begin with, the first half of the album (from ZTO to Hyperdrive) we are talking about pure perfection musically speaking, being ZTO a perfect introduction to this world Ziltoid The Omniscient wanna introduce us to, having both enough heaviness to catch our attention and enough silliness to amuse us and tell us what we already knew from the album cover; we are in for a weird experience... THEN, we are suddenly dropped into By Your Command... This is probably my least favorite song on this half of the album, which means it kicks ass because it delivers us a vocal performance from Devin like we've never seen before on any album... Striking us on the spot with with both growls, epic moments like the riffs during the "Prepare the attack" dialogue and, of course, the story, which is presented to us via the music and the dialogues between Ziltoid and his subordinates (I also want to point out the bass during this part, which is one of my favorite things on this entire album). Ziltoidia Attaxx!!! is another silly heavy song that drops us right in the action without a single moment to rest from the previous song, with those juicy riffs, those crunchy blast beats (Meshuggah, as this album used their drum software "Drumkit From Hell" which was also used on the album Catch ThirtyThree by them), and the chorus singing the main melody on the background while Ziltoid says we better believe it. Also I want to highlight the solo Devin plays, which reminds me to solo in the song War from Burzum in the sense that it was put there for comedic purposes and not for the senses of showing any virtuosity (even tho both are solos I really dig).
Alright, time for my favorite song on the entire album, Solar Winds, I really like the beginning of this song (skip the first 50 seconds and lets drop directly into the soft riff which starts the song)... That beautiful riff, along with Devin's soft voice, already sells me this song and gets used to it! This entire song has that sort of dramatic aura around it while playing those fantastic riffs that only help to establish that dramatic aura even more, while we have all this backstory of Ziltoid pursuing Captain Spectacular. Highlight to the ending of this song, which always manages to get under my skin and gives me goosebumps!
Where were we now? Oh yeah, the fan favorite, Hyperdrive, so fan favorite it would reappear later on Addicted sung by Anneke Van Giersbergen, with a fantastic performance but very different from what this album tries to deliver, because while Addicted version is more lovely and tries more to be more in tune with Addicted heavy tone, this one is a more chilled and relaxed one, on tone with what is supposed to happen while being on a hyperdrive.
So yeah, I wanted to talk into detail about those 5 songs... The rest I will just talk over as we always do when we talk about these albums... You see, N9 and Planet Smasher are the heaviest songs on the album and they purposefully try to be so, because they tell the story of how Ziltoid fails to confront Captain Spectacular and then tries to recruit the Planet Smasher, which gets us to the song of the same name, which is... My least favorite on the album, I'll say it right away. The reason why I don't think this album is a perfect one because is you see... It's probably that I don't like the voice of the Planet Smasher (that explains why he doesn't like musicals. lmao), like I get the parodic focus of the song but at the very end those vocals don't fit with me so that makes me give this song a lesser punctuation (6/10), which makes this album a 9/10 and by extend an S, sorry everyone.
Color Your World is my second favorite song on the album. This psychedelic journey to discover WE ARE ALL PUPPETS AAAAAAA D: is a really charismatic one, being both epic and cathartic just like it is destructive... Also, I love the quiet part in the middle till the end, the "Stay at home for me", it always makes me shed a tear because of how beautiful it is... I mean, look at this! An album about a puppet which destroys the Earth over a fucking cup of coffee made me shed a fucking tear! If that isn't enough proof to show you that Devin is a genius... Then I don't know what it is!
Then The Greys and Tall Latte close this journey on a high note, after giving us such a strong album, we have to end on a high note right? And what is stronger than taking out the plottwist card of "Everything was a dream?" Nothing dude, I always get a good laugh at the end, as you should, because this album never fails at getting a laugh outta me.
Like I said before, my problem with this album comes from the fact that it can get cringe at times, not incredibly so, but it is enough for me to not wanna give this album a perfect rating sadly. Like I said before I REALLY REALLY REALLY like this album, but for me it's not THE perfect album as some people say it is.
Thanks, everyone, for reading! Please let me know your opinion and/or your experience with this album! Next time is the time for me to analyze an album that is very special for me, you see, people tend to demerit this one and say it is inconsistent or directly never mention its existence... But for me? Oh yeah... You see, Ki is MY personal favorite album.
Album rankings:
S+: - Terria. - Synchestra. - The New Black. - Accelerated Evolution. - Alien.
S: - Ziltoid The Omniscient. - Ocean Machine: Biomech.
A: - City. - Infinity.
B: - Physicist. - SYL
C: - The Hummer
D: - Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing. - Devlab. - Punky Brüster - Cooked On Phonics.

Previous Post: The Hummer (2006)
Next Post: Ki (2009)
Devin Townsend Podcast: https://youtu.be/kpNUDSeWJ70
Devin Townsend Website: https://hevydevy.com/discography/ziltoid-the-omniscient/
Greetings, humans! It is I! Not Ziltoid... Sadly, he couldn't attend this meeting. He was too busy hosting a concert and recording his third solo album! So I decided to take over his place and decide to expose what was his first step in the great music world! His very first album, which comes from a very humble human, a human called Devin Townsend, whom wanted to expose the great adventures of our favorite omniscient puppet from beyond the omniverse through a magnificent piece of music! But I warn you! If you don't feel ready for what is yet to come, this might be a lot for you to stomach, so you better be prepared! Grab your coffee! Grab your snacks! Even grab your favorite puppet or pet and get your headphones, sit down, relax, play the album Ziltoid The Omniscient™ while you read me! Are you ready? Indeed... Let's jump on it!
Hello everyone, and welcome back once a-FUCKING-gain to this beautiful section that I love so much where I get to talk about all and each one of the Devin Townsend albums... This time is the time for me to talk about a fan favorite, an album that people just never stop talking about, and with reason, I should say! For this is an album that manages to capture the essence of having both good music and personality while at the same time being a parody! Which is something really hard to achieve, I must say, for when people try to create albums that are parodies and have personalities usually... Those come out as cringe or, at the very least, they aren't funny or musically engaging at all. They usually fail in one regard while succeeding in the other or the other way around, the fail in both ways and don't ge to engage with people at all... Well... This one is different! And I'm gonna spoil it for you already since it is so fucking obvious; this album is fantastic, maybe not perfect as some people dare to say, but it is a perfect example of how to make an album that you can't take seriously but at the same time you can bring yourself to enjoy. Has anyone seen Jojo's Bizzare Adventure? Well, I tend to compare Ziltoid The Omniscient with Jojo's in the sense that, while being at times inconsistent and not taking itself too seriously and being way too over the top, it has personality and a charm that is hard to put into words, the only thing that I can say is that while both aren't perfect, they don't need to be, they don't aspire to be perfect, they just want to tell you a story while at the same time making sure you enjoy all the time you spend with them!
But like... Enough exposition... What has led us to be here? What made Devin write and create this album? Well, a bunch of factors, first of 'em is the fact that this is the first album that Devin creates being COMPLETELY sober, and the reason for him to go clean is factor number 2; he became a father (oh yeah, we can officially call him Strapping Young Dad), and he wanted his kids to have the best version of him he could achieve, so after finishing the touring for SYL last album and The Devin Townsend Band, he decided to quit music and be there for his family all that he could, but of course, he still had a bunch of spare time to do stuff and such, so he needed a hobby to use his time upon... This led us to him having a dream when he was a kid. Back in the day, he saw a movie (older than me, btw) called The Dark Crystal, which had puppets as main characters, which led Devin to think; "Hey, I should make one and even maybe show it to my children!" So Devin began assembling one with Clay on the free time he had (between feedings, naps, and diapers). Ya know, at first, it was just a silly hobby, which was just supposed to carry Devin through this world of being a sober father... But soon it actually took form, and he created something else... And when Devin put the eyes on it... It finally came to life... ZILTOID!!! THE OMNISCIENT!!! From his words, he basically heard on his mind his theme song (ZTO as we know it on the album), and then it just became a thing.
That was just the first part of the story, but there's something I haven't explored before since Ocean Machine: Biomech or Infinity. Do you know what that is? Costs from the albums and how successful the album Devin made were. You see, the SYL albums were really expensive to make, and so were the Devin Townsend Band albums. I mean, not exactly millions of dollars, but it sure were some thousand (for example, The New Black was one of Devin's most expensive albums at the time... Having a cost of 80,000 bucks, which actually saw a credit after Ozzfest and Download Festival but was still a really high price), so when Devin began all this idea of this muldimensional being that was a puppet, he basically also set himself a simple goal; to make a good record with just a few hundred bucks. So he put hands to work, also setting some cliches/habits he would use in the future to record albums with his new DTP, using, and I quote; "Protools as a sketchbook that eventually ends up being a final product". Working both on his free time and past bedtime to write and record this new record he had in mind but also really struggling to keep himself as sober as he could for the very first time in a long time while on the making of an album, so this was also a very important album for him on that regard (think of it just like Mike Portnoy writing the 12 Step Suite with Dream Theater to cope with his alcoholism).
In the end? The album ended up being kind of a metaphor, for it was an album that Devin used to let a lot of negative feelings and negativity flow towards the outside, but more in the sense that, he could unbottle those "rockstar" things he wanted to do with SYL but never did because he feel they were too silly and/or uncomfortable for Devin to do in the first place, but because a puppet (Ziltoid) was doing it and not Devin himself, Devin felt good doing them, he didn't feel any regrets and as a matter of fact like I stated, were gratificating for him. Being a major breakthrough for Devin both in an artistic way (setting the way albums like Deconstruction or the sequel Dark Matters would turn out), and in a personal way, making him a "better" artist in the sense of finally at long last managing to overcome his addictions.
But that's enough backstory, we now have to talk about the music itself, do we?
Alright, polemic opinion here... Ziltoid is a fantastic album and one of Devin's most ambitious releases to date... BUT!!! I don't see it among Devin's masterpieces, I see it more as a flawed piece of art rather than a masterpiece... While it is a really strong album and I enjoy it ALL THE WAY from ZTO through Tall Latte, I think it carries the weight of still being a parody album that is spectacular and almost flawless if we compare it among parody albums because as I have stated before, this one manages to be both a good satire and an enjoyable listen, but that doesn't change the fact that AT TIMES it can get cringe, not too cringe but cringe indeed... This is a little problem now that doesn't kill the album if you ask me... But on Dark Matters... Ooooohhh... We'll get to you eventually... But yeah, basically what makes me not give this album a 10 is the narration, which at times it gets cringe but everything else honestly? Let's talk about it.
To begin with, the first half of the album (from ZTO to Hyperdrive) we are talking about pure perfection musically speaking, being ZTO a perfect introduction to this world Ziltoid The Omniscient wanna introduce us to, having both enough heaviness to catch our attention and enough silliness to amuse us and tell us what we already knew from the album cover; we are in for a weird experience... THEN, we are suddenly dropped into By Your Command... This is probably my least favorite song on this half of the album, which means it kicks ass because it delivers us a vocal performance from Devin like we've never seen before on any album... Striking us on the spot with with both growls, epic moments like the riffs during the "Prepare the attack" dialogue and, of course, the story, which is presented to us via the music and the dialogues between Ziltoid and his subordinates (I also want to point out the bass during this part, which is one of my favorite things on this entire album). Ziltoidia Attaxx!!! is another silly heavy song that drops us right in the action without a single moment to rest from the previous song, with those juicy riffs, those crunchy blast beats (Meshuggah, as this album used their drum software "Drumkit From Hell" which was also used on the album Catch ThirtyThree by them), and the chorus singing the main melody on the background while Ziltoid says we better believe it. Also I want to highlight the solo Devin plays, which reminds me to solo in the song War from Burzum in the sense that it was put there for comedic purposes and not for the senses of showing any virtuosity (even tho both are solos I really dig).
Alright, time for my favorite song on the entire album, Solar Winds, I really like the beginning of this song (skip the first 50 seconds and lets drop directly into the soft riff which starts the song)... That beautiful riff, along with Devin's soft voice, already sells me this song and gets used to it! This entire song has that sort of dramatic aura around it while playing those fantastic riffs that only help to establish that dramatic aura even more, while we have all this backstory of Ziltoid pursuing Captain Spectacular. Highlight to the ending of this song, which always manages to get under my skin and gives me goosebumps!
Where were we now? Oh yeah, the fan favorite, Hyperdrive, so fan favorite it would reappear later on Addicted sung by Anneke Van Giersbergen, with a fantastic performance but very different from what this album tries to deliver, because while Addicted version is more lovely and tries more to be more in tune with Addicted heavy tone, this one is a more chilled and relaxed one, on tone with what is supposed to happen while being on a hyperdrive.
So yeah, I wanted to talk into detail about those 5 songs... The rest I will just talk over as we always do when we talk about these albums... You see, N9 and Planet Smasher are the heaviest songs on the album and they purposefully try to be so, because they tell the story of how Ziltoid fails to confront Captain Spectacular and then tries to recruit the Planet Smasher, which gets us to the song of the same name, which is... My least favorite on the album, I'll say it right away. The reason why I don't think this album is a perfect one because is you see... It's probably that I don't like the voice of the Planet Smasher (that explains why he doesn't like musicals. lmao), like I get the parodic focus of the song but at the very end those vocals don't fit with me so that makes me give this song a lesser punctuation (6/10), which makes this album a 9/10 and by extend an S, sorry everyone.
Color Your World is my second favorite song on the album. This psychedelic journey to discover WE ARE ALL PUPPETS AAAAAAA D: is a really charismatic one, being both epic and cathartic just like it is destructive... Also, I love the quiet part in the middle till the end, the "Stay at home for me", it always makes me shed a tear because of how beautiful it is... I mean, look at this! An album about a puppet which destroys the Earth over a fucking cup of coffee made me shed a fucking tear! If that isn't enough proof to show you that Devin is a genius... Then I don't know what it is!
Then The Greys and Tall Latte close this journey on a high note, after giving us such a strong album, we have to end on a high note right? And what is stronger than taking out the plottwist card of "Everything was a dream?" Nothing dude, I always get a good laugh at the end, as you should, because this album never fails at getting a laugh outta me.
Like I said before, my problem with this album comes from the fact that it can get cringe at times, not incredibly so, but it is enough for me to not wanna give this album a perfect rating sadly. Like I said before I REALLY REALLY REALLY like this album, but for me it's not THE perfect album as some people say it is.
Thanks, everyone, for reading! Please let me know your opinion and/or your experience with this album! Next time is the time for me to analyze an album that is very special for me, you see, people tend to demerit this one and say it is inconsistent or directly never mention its existence... But for me? Oh yeah... You see, Ki is MY personal favorite album.
Album rankings:
S+: - Terria. - Synchestra. - The New Black. - Accelerated Evolution. - Alien.
S: - Ziltoid The Omniscient. - Ocean Machine: Biomech.
A: - City. - Infinity.
B: - Physicist. - SYL
C: - The Hummer
D: - Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing. - Devlab. - Punky Brüster - Cooked On Phonics.

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The AJET website seems to be down. Does anyone know where I can find the foxy phonics worksheet and answers?
I’d also be curious to hear about anyone’s experience using this in the classroom!