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Snow Files of the Week: "Big Yellow House/Exterminated" from "MillenniuM", episode "Pilot" (1996). When The X-Files went into its fourth season, Chris Carter's second show "MillenniuM" premiered. The first episode of "MillenniuM" gained the highest number of viewers FOX ever had for a pilot, the episode was even shown in selected theatres. The home of the Black family, the big yellow house, is a place of safety for Frank Black. Here he can provide his family with a normal life and keep them away from the dark world outside, at least he thinks he can. If you watch the show closely you will notice, that all the scenes, that play in or around the yellow house, have a certain golden glow, while the scenes in the real world have washed out colours. Mark uses the main theme from "MillenniuM" to create a haunting variation for the introduction of the yellow house. His soft and moody string pads, combined with the solo violin, create a place of peace, but also underlines the darkness waiting outside. The tracks are taken from the first volume of music from "MillenniuM", released by La-La Land Records. It was released in 2008 and sold out shortly after. In 2015, the volume was re-issued, limited to 1.000 copies. Enjoy!

That is downright scary.

Worth every cent!

Snow Files of the Week: "Ice Cubes/Dan to the Rescue/Hit and Run/No One Ever Leaves Me/Victoria's Madness" from the tv movie "Seduced and Betrayed" (1995). In the early 90's BASIC INSTINCT hit the theatres and became almost immediately a modern classic. It was a huge comeback for erotic thrillers and in the years that followed many movies wanted to be like it. This is also true for the music, composed by the great Jerry Goldsmith, that influenced the thriller genre for years to come. When SEDUCED AND BETRAYED came around in 1995, it more or less tried to imitate the sexual undertones. And it is pretty obvious that Jerry Goldsmith's score was used as a temp track, before Mark began working on the movie. His main theme is pretty much a slightly different arrangement of Goldsmith's theme. But for the rest of the movie Mark came up with his more mellow and harmonic style. The main theme was featured on the sampler "The Snow Files". The score was released, paired with CAROLINE AT MIDNIGHT, on "The Mark Snow Collection Vol.2" by Dragon's Domain Records. The CD is limited to 500 copies. Enjoy!

I remember being in Africa a couple of times when there were Marburg outbreaks and ebola outbreaks. Signs were posted in conspicuous places and the airports distributed brochures to warn visitors. Interestingly, one place that was particularly worried about Marburg was in and around Bwindi (Uganda) because they were worried PEOPLE might transmit it to the silverback gorillas, who provide many locals with income.

Snow Files of the Week: "The Seeds Of Mistrust", from "The X-Files", episode "Kitten" (2018). In this season 11 episode, we learn a little more about Assistant Director Skinner. During the Vietnam War, Skinner served in the Marines. Together with his fellow soldier and friend John "Kitten" James he is to escort a crate marked MK-NAOMI. They are attacked and both have to hide in a hut with civilians. While Skinner is helping a wounded soldier, the crate is hit by bullets and a green gas leaks out, which John is exposed to. When Skinner returns to the cabin, he sees that "Kitten" murdered all civilians. In the present, Mulder and Scully are put on the trail of Skinner, who has disappeared without a trace. Something from the past has reappeared. In this piece Mark shows his melancholy side again. A ghostly choir sings over the gentle strings and piano motifs, the X-Files theme briefly emerges before the piece ends with a wistful solo trumpet. The tracks come from the 2CD set by La-La Land Records, which is limited to 3,000 pieces. Enjoy listening!

Snow Files of the Week: "Time like a heartbeat / Lonely Man", from "The X-Files", episode "Memento Mori" (1997). In the episode "Leonard Betts," Scully learned from Leonard that she had cancer. She only tells Mulder and Skinner and is determined to keep working. While Mulder searches for information to help Scully, Skinner tries to make a deal with the Cigarette Smoking Man to save Scully's life. Mark's music is accordingly melancholy. The gentle strings accompany the struggle for Scully's life, there is also a nice piano theme to be heard. The music comes from the fourth set by La-La Land Records, which is limited to 2,000 units. Enjoy listening!

Snow Files of the Week: "Randi loves Jason/Theme From Skateboard" from the movie "Skateboard" (1978). This is the oldest release of a score by Mark so far. Only available on Vinyl and audio tape, the album "Skateboard" features late-70's rock music and Mark's grooving score. Let's travel back to the 70's! Enjoy!

Hello all! Just dropping in to say I've got a brand new (still in plastic wrap) copy of the Volume 1 2-CD soundtrack from La-La Land Records on sale at eBay at the moment, if there's anyone out there who has previously missed a chance to own it. Both volumes are FANTASTIC (of course), and both are currently unavailable from the La-La Land site. Starting bid was at $25 with free shipping (less than I paid for it originally). Hope this makes someone's day! https://www.ebay.com/itm/335368705553 This is who we are. — lucid hysteria PS — I hope advertising something I have for sale doesn't violate any of the community guidelines (I'm new around here as far as actually having an account, though as a lover of the show and the music, I have certainly "lurked" at this site from time to time over the years). I couldn't find any kind of relevant prohibition listed anywhere, so I went ahead, hoping to give someone the chance they may have missed out on owning it prior to now.

I remember the episode concerning H5N1 and how it peaked my interest in biological diseases. I think most people either typically ignore or wantonly refuse to acknowledge the danger that these viruses present. Both are currently appearing in areas and populations that until now, have remained relatively untouched. A first time discovery of the Marburg virus in Guniea in 2/2024 caused a global response. Both viruses were relatively unknown until 1967 (Marburg) and circa 1997 (H5N1). Luckily, outbreaks of the Marburg virus have been so far, relatively small. Unfortunately, the mortality rate once contracted is estimated to be as high as 88%. In order to provide some type of parallel, the Plague, or Black Death that ran throughout Europe had mortality rates as high as 75%. During the time of infection, the population of Europe was estimated to be 80 million, of which the Plague took 50%. Today, there are over 700 million living in Europe alone. You do the math. Viruses constantly mutate, and Marburg is no different. It is an RNA virus, which means it is prone to mutations much like COVID-19, which have the capability of creating a much deadlier virulent and transmissable strain, although it is commonly agreed among virologists that mutations (if the virus kills the host, it dies with it) can but not always become more infectious yet less deadly over time. H5N1 on the other hand, is slightly less lethal, presenting with a mortality rate of approximately 52%. Originally found in birds, the virus has mutated to include other mammals. Currently, there are no clusters of outbreaks among humans, however, being airborne, any mutation that would be transferrable to humans would likely spread extremely fast through the population and create another pandemic, one where the mortality rate won't be 1%-2% like COVID (figure from the WHO), it will be nearly 53%. From the CDC, the following H5N1 statistics are as of 4/24/2024. Wild birds cases are 9,296. There have been 90,723,876 poultry found to be infected in 48 of 50 states, and 33 dairy herds affected in 8 states. So far, there have been only two cases of humans contracting H5N1, 1 from infected poultry (2024), the other from infected cattle (2022). There is some good news, as the CDC is studying the most recent case and has found that it is vulnerable to flu anti-viral drugs. They have already produced what is called a candidate vaccine virus that could be used in the future to make a vaccine....

Snow Files of the Week: "Woke up hungry / Not an option" from "The X-Files", episode "Darkness Falls" (1994). Classic X-Files at its best. Another episode outside of the alien mythology, but no less memorable. When lumberjacks seem to disappear without a trace in a large forest area, Mulder and Scully set out to investigate what had happened. People have been disappearing in this area again and again since the 1930s. The agents quickly find out that a previously unknown species of insect is apparently at home there. These green-glowing insects pounce on their victims as soon as darkness falls. At this point, Mark was still in the early stages of his X-Files music. Which means that it is less melodic, but still doesn't lack intensity. This is ensured by a high-pitched sound that is repeated as an echo, evoking the proximity of the insects. The tracks are from the fourth set by La-La Land Records, which is limited to 2,000 copies. Enjoy listening!

Snow Files of the Week: "Recap / My Name Is Jackson Van De Camp / He Shot Him And He Shot Me" from "The X-Files", episode "My Struggle IV" (2018). The finale of the eleventh season and with it the finale of the series is a double-edged sword. The whole alien plot was hopelessly confused by the end of the ninth season. Chris Carter didn't do any better with the four episodes called "My Struggle" that frame the tenth and eleventh seasons. Characters that have long since died are suddenly pulled out again, the Cigarette Smoking Man is suddenly the father of apparently every character. This four-parter is full of hair-raising twists, so it's little consolation that Mulder and Scully finally find their son and that this story is at least getting an, albeit temporary, conclusion. For Mark this was the opportunity to tread familiar territory. The "Home" theme is also used here, as is the theme of the series itself. The tracks come from the La-La Land Records 2CD set. The set is limited to 3,000 copies. Enjoy listening!

Hi folks, I know we have another topic about The Yellow House on Google Maps Streetview mode, but I thought this was interesting. I happened to be looking at the images again just now and whilst navigating around the corner, suddenly a rough picture of what appears to be a film/TV production crew popped up, with several vans and even what looked like a director's chair. I did some searching but couldn't find any reference to what they were shooting at the time. Perhaps they were using a nearby property. The images are dated September 2011 and are a bit fiddly to find because if you move in a certain direction on the street view map, the images appear and disappear; there doesn't seem to be much continuity and the thumbnails at the bottom of the map change depending upon where you are positioned. Here are a few of the images and a link: (If you are moving around the map and the images disapear, the arrows show what to look for to find the images again.) https://maps.app.goo.gl/H8XEuveTYWCs2F4p9

Let's hope it's not the end. Mark Snow is tops. I totally agree without dialog is much preferred!

Having watched Millennium again after a long time, I fell in love again with the craft of Mark Snow - It's the start of a 1013 rewatch - currently on Harsh Realm. I then got the idea to try and create an expanded version of The Truth And The Light without dialogue, but soon found it's such a patchwork piece it's not really faithfully possible. There are also cues that are still unreleased in original form. However I want to document my cross referencing of the tracks on The Truth And The Light with tracks available on the LaLaLand X Files score volumes. 1 Introitus: Praeceps Transito Spatium Music from XF EP: 2X19 Død Kalm [Specially made for TATL by Jeff Charbonneau - contains elements from Død Kalm otherwise unreleased] 2 Materia Primoris: The X-Files Theme (Main Title) Vol1 Disc 4: 24 The X Files Main Title (Remix) 3 Raptus Music from XF EP: 1X79 Pilot Vol4 Disc1: 01 Night Forest Vol1 Disc1: 03 The Close Encounter 4 Adflatus Music from XF EP: 2X08 One Breath Vol1 Disc1: 21 Uniforms [Version on TATL has the addition of a Cello playing over the piece. Either from a different unreleased cue or new version for TATL] Vol1 Disc1: 24 Reanimation 5 Deverbero Music from XF EP: 2X22 F. Emasculata [Cue otherwise unreleased]* 6 Cantus Excio Music from XF EP: 2X21 The Calusari [Cue otherwise unreleased]* 7 Mercutura Music from XF EP: 1X13 Genderbender [Cue otherwise unreleased]* 8 Lamenta Music from XF EP: 1X22 Roland Vol1 Disc1: 10 Sweeper Piano intro is longer on TATL 9 Insequi Music from XF EP: 3X08 Oubliette Vol4 Disc3: 01 West Of Easton [2nd part with chaotic piano otherwise unreleased]* 10 Otium Music from XF EP: 1X03 Conduit Vol3 Disc1: 13 Another X-File 11 Dubitatio Music from XF EP: 2x22 F. Emasculata , 1x07 Ghost in the Machine [Cue otherwise unreleased]* 12 Iter Music from XF EP: 3X09 Nisei Vol1 Disc2: 03 Rail Song 13 Progigno De Axis Music from XF EP: 3X09 Nisei Vol1 Disc2: 03 Rail Song [Piano part at beginning otherwise unreleased] 14 Carmen Amatorium Ex Arcanum Music from XF EP: 2X07 3 Vol3 Disc1: 30 Bloody Jacuzzi 15 Facetus Malum Music from XF EP: 2X20 Humbug [Cue otherwise unreleased] 16 Memoria Music from XF EP: 1X18 Shapes [Cue otherwise unreleased]* 17 Mitis Lumen Music from XF EP: 2X23 Soft Light Vol2 Disc2: 02 Eaten by Light 18 Fides Fragilis Music from XF EP: 1X23 The Erlenmeyer Flask [Cue otherwise unreleased] 19 Exoptare Ex Veritas Music from XF EP: 3X08 Oubliette Vol4 Disc3: 02 Only Way to Escape 20 Kyrie Music from XF EP: 3X14 Grotesque Vol2 Disc2: 13 Disarmed [First part specially made for TATL by Jeff Charbonneau] *...though Shortened version without dialogue is available as part of the Mark Snow - Snow Files 'Suite From The X-Files' (also on the XF 20th Anniversary release) Do let me know if I've made any mistakes or omissions. I really do like The Truth and the Light, for a long time it was the only official X-Files score release available, I may even get the recent glow in the dark Vinyl, but I sure would like all cues in original form without dialogue. It seems to have gone quiet for X Files score releases for now. Hope it's not the end of the line.

Snow Files of the Week: "Lifeboat / Wolf At The Door" from "The X-Files", episode "Død Kalm" (1995). This episode is another classic episode in the series. A mutiny apparently occurs aboard the USS "Ardent". Parts of the crew leave the ship in a lifeboat. When they are found a few hours later, they have aged rapidly, some of them have already died. Mulder and Scully investigate what was happening on the ship and soon become victims of a rapid aging process themselves. Snow's score is truly freezing. To do this, he uses a dull, echoing percussion, which significantly increases the feeling of being trapped underwater in the vast ocean. The tracks are from the fourth set by La-La Land Records. The set is limited to 2,000 copies. Enjoy listening!

Snow Files of the Week: Suite from "Shadows Of Desire" (1994). Another tv movie that Mark scored while he was already working on the X-Files. Although his trademark sounds can also be heard here, the score has a rather folky feel. This is ensured by the solo violin, which sounds different here than the violin sampled two years later by Snow for "MillenniuM". In addition, there is an acoustic guitar and harmonica samples, which round off the whole thing. Nevertheless, the main theme is reminiscent of that of the "Millennium" episode "Luminary" from the second season. The music comes from Volume 3 of the "Mark Snow Collection" from Dragon's Domain Records. The CD is limited to 500 copies. Enjoy listening!

Snow Files of the Week: "Silver Moon/Drone Fever/Batting Practice/Package/Drone Rescue/Vacuum", from "The X-Files", episode "Rm9sbG93ZXJz" (2018). This episode from the 11th season with the somewhat strange title (a Base64 code that translates as "followers") is about the dangers that all controlling, artificial intelligences can bring with them. On this track, we hear gloomy sound collages that accompany the technical theme of the episode. The music comes from the 2CD set by La-La Land Records, which is limited to 3,000 units. Enjoy listening! Always a pleasure. 🙂

Agree with you completely Gotham Queen, I always thought he did a good deadpan Frank Black. Roedecker would have approved!

I wonder why these art exhibitions are only on for such a short time? I would love to have gone but it's far from the UK! I bet @Libby and @Viivi would have found it interesting.

That's brilliant. I love the tone.

Interesting article by Pamela Chelin of LA magazine on Chris Carter's art exhibition running until March 10th. Pity it isn't for longer but if you can get there, would be a fascinating experience. "The truth is The X-Files creator Chris Carter never intended to put his art out there – into the public eye, that is. For years, he has made art purely for self-expression, which he hangs inside his office in Santa Monica. In Carter’s estimation, that was as public as it was ever going to get. That changed, however, when longtime family friend and LWM gallery co-founder Jim Carter, the son of two-time Academy Award winning production designer and art director Rick Carter, invited him to showcase his art, culminating in The Chris Carter Collection currently being featured until March 10 at the gallery which is located on the cusp of downtown Los Angeles and Boyle Heights." View the original article at: https://lamag.com/art/x-files-creator-chris-carter-art-exhibition I think Typewriter is my favourite piece previewed in the article...

Reminds me a a bit of Jan Hammer and his emotional guitars in the first minute. Eclectic, thanks as always for sharing! 🫠

Snow Files of the Week: Suite from "Murder Between Friends" (1994). By 1994, Mark was already in the middle of the X-Files. Nevertheless, he still composed scores for various tv films. One of them was "Murder Between Friends", for which Mark naturally used the sounds he had already tried out in the X-Files. Nevertheless, the score is more than just an X-Files light, thanks to the bluesy electric guitar at times more reminiscent of Eric Clapton's play in the Lethal Weapon scores, and the male solo vocals, which stand in direct contrast to the "wailing woman" vocals that are often used. The tracks from the suite come from the third album of the "Mark Snow Collection" by Dragon's Domain Records. The CD is limited to 500 copies. Enjoy listening!

Snow Files of the Week: "El Lobo/Sling Blade" from "The Lone Gunmen". This short-lived X-Files-spin-off focused more on humour. Mark's music also has a brighter touch to it, with sometimes even James-Bond-like spy music. The cliffhanger of the show was resolved in the ninth season of THE X-FILES, with the episode "Jump the shark". Mark's music was released, limited to 2000 copies, by La-La-Land Records. The album also has music from the fourth Chris-Carter-show, HARSH REALM, on it. The album is sold out. Enjoy!