Outerborough

AMAZON
First of all, it's great to get my hands on the 1st CD, as there has been so much buzz! Reynolds is definitely part of the new generation of post-post-minimalist but there is a kind of deeply intuitive, uber-musicality going on here that sets him apart from his peers. I love the pan-diatonic openness, warmth, and generosity usually found in jazzers like Pat Metheny or Keith Jarrett -it's completely disarming. Reynolds' heart is all over this CD--this is no composer/mathematician working out his angst-ridden reason for being. This is a very solid performer/composer expressing himself in the most direct way possible. – Mike Maguire

THE BIG CITY BLOG
Best of 2011. Out­er­bor­ough is the best exam­ple of the rest­less, cre­ative rela­tion­ship between com­po­si­tion and pop music going on in con­tem­po­rary clas­si­cal.

ALARM MAGAZINE
Though Outerborough is just his first solo album, violinist/composer Todd Reynolds holds an impressive résumé, including memberships in Bang on a Can, Steve Reich and Musicians, and his own avant-garde string quartet, ETHEL. But his compositional skills and cross-century aesthetics leave a longer-lasting impression, offering dynamic melodies and structures alongside amplification, loop effects, and laptop electronics. Outerborough, meanwhile, is no ordinary debut. As a double album, it presents two sides to Reynolds: one as adventurous neoclassical composer and one as interpretive performer. The first disc contains seven personal compositions that achieve a wide range despite fairly limited timbres (although one unique track is performed by the League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots' Guitarbot). The second disc holds nine previously unreleased pieces by other acclaimed musicians, including David Lang, Phil Kline, andNick Zammuto and Paul de Jong of The Books. – Chris Force & Scott Morrow

KATHODIK
Wavy carpets electronic drawing backgrounds and sinuous sound intriguing: landscapes slowly changing, twilight spread of saturated urban scenarios.Through the heavy traffic of a city center or from the sidewalks of a suburban metaphysical, presence begins to come forward and take shape: a person among people, but also a lone voice. It is the Violin Todd Reynolds , now electronically filtered and fused with the sonic environment that surrounds him, now melodic line that stands out from the bottom and draw figures with uncertain search for self, spotted by sudden and fleeting ignitions. This and more is Outerborough, the place / non-site designed by violinist / composer / improviser American, aided by his kindred spirits, among which worth mentioning Phil Kline, Michael Gordon, David Lang and Ken Thomson : united in 'offer genuinely and deeply contemporary musical experience. [from the Italian] – Filippo Focosi

SILENT BALLET
At the beginning of the year, we commented on how Todd Reynolds collaboration with Kid Beyond was likely to be one of the better tracks of the year. Now, with the year winding down, not too many artists have submitted comparable work and that prediction stands pretty solid. This is kind of remarkable, because we later learned that this is what Kid Beyond is normally occupied with. But perhaps that is the lesson behind Reynold's Outerborough, where so many names make a brief appearance on the double-disc album: music is a collaboration of minds and passions. This is self-evident for musicians that are part of a band, but those who generally fly solo can get a much needed boost of inspiration and creativity simply by working with a new musician. Given that one's thoughts and experiences are unique, the collaborative effort is a reconciliation of alien methods with one's own. And so it is with Outerborough, which takes on a variety of musical types but maintains a consistent sound throughout, because, ultimately, Todd Reynolds is in the driver's seat. Outerborough is an impressive album, one that everyone should experience.