This collection of crisp electronic music mixed with bits of character dialogue will well please X-Files fans; those unfamiliar with the long-running sci-fi show have a chance to discover just how well an intensely eerie television score can stand on its own. Soundtrack master Mark Snow has done other scores for TV, but the X-Files is his most outstanding work. Right off the bat this CD transports you into the world of agents Mulder and Scully and the supernatural or extraterrestrial mysteries they uncover. The haunting, melodious whistle theme; the slow-moving walls of melancholy electronica; the ominous, urgent rhythms written for action scenes all recall the dark, spooky atmosphere that the X-Files program has so expertly created and maintained. There's also an ocean of dialogue to explore here, which for some may be distracting, but for others will bring back the suspenseful and sometimes horrific images from particular episodes. Overall, the dialogue is presented in a subdued enough way that it doesn't stand out oddly and oftentimes just reinforces the creepy intrigue that is the show's most wonderful quality. Recommended. --Karen Karleski

An influential TV series of the '90s has generated a dark, eerie, and vaguely campy set of "inspired-by" songs from a diverse group of musical fans. Pride of place here goes to three tracks: the Foo Fighters' delicious cover of Gary Numan's "Down In The Park," a filthy remake of R.E.M.'s "Star Me Kitten" by literary lion William Burroughs, and a titanic, cross-generational collision between Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper on "Hands of Death (Burn Baby Burn)." Sheryl Crow's "On The Outside" is a toss-off in this company, while Mark Snow's famous X-Files theme loses its creepy edge in both extended and P.M. Dawn-remixed incarnations. --Jeff Bateman

According to the liner notes, 20 million people gather 'round the tube to watch The X-Files each week, so it's not a stretch to believe that the movie will be huge beyond belief. With that kind of hype, the producers were under a lot of pressure to put together an incredible soundtrack to back it up. At first glance, the disc looks aptly huge, featuring artists like Foo Fighters, The Cure, Bjork, and Sting. How does it stand up? Surprisingly, the smaller groups are the ones providing the best music within. Filter's reworking of Three Dog Night's "One" kicks the disc into high gear but the excitement plummets from there. The Foo Fighter's new track, "Walking After You," is a softly-sung mediocre pop song; Sting should be ashamed to be regurgitating yet another number ("Invisible Sun" with World Beat artist Aswad). It's also disappointing to see the inclusion of already-released cuts, like Bjork's "Hunter" and a forcibly altered version of Sarah Mclachlan's "Black." --Denise Sheppard

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