If you can descramble Tash Hagz from songwriter Mike Shields, then you can understand where the moniker originates and follow the pun to the music and video of “Images Of Imogen” without getting so confused. Mikes Shields is a talented songwriter with guitar, vocal and piano chops to back it, and the only thing to go by to prove it is this new single that keeps your attention from beginning to end. The song is a thing of beauty and the video doesn’t ruin any essence of that which sometimes can happen out of limitations it can always come with.
MORE ON TASH HAGZ: https://www.tashhagz.com/
The musical background of Shields is extensive and like anyone else he has a story worth looking into, with everything from starting in his pre-teens and as he moved on he has been in a number of bands playing folk, blues and progressive rock. But Shields has also stopped along the way to smell the roses, even earning a few degrees to his credit. This wouldn’t surprise once you hear “Images Of Imogen” because you can tell there is a progressive appeal to it and that’s why Alternative Rock doesn’t mis categorize him as an artist it makes perfect sense.
“Images Of Imogen” is a smooth ride yacht rock lovers can also appreciate, if more on the folk side like Crosby Stills & Nash among others worth noting perhaps a strong influence of. Songwriters like that are not easy to be mentioned in the same sentence with, so it is a compliment to anyone up to the task. I also noticed a dash of more modern bands like Ocean Colour Scene, and while on-the subject of influences, Brit-Pop creeps into it as well. But these are only nuances felt through what is an excellent original songwriter by any-and all means.
The song has a haunting ambience to it without resorting to lo-fi effects, it’s authentically filled in with the voice of Shields as he pulls off all musical departments without sounding spliced or mailed into himself. “Images Of Imogen” is an esoteric indie pop-folk tune with a story coming from a place that can be anywhere you want by filling in the pictures of your own thoughts. It’s like a journey through an art gallery, narrated by Shields through the character of Tash Hagz. But if you don’t study it you might miss that, but you won’t miss a mesmerizing tunes either.
The words and music of “Images Of Imogen” by Tash Hagz are second to none and the video for the single is also spectacular viewing with a vintage effect over footage in the studio. You get to see him playing guitar, piano and singing with pictures and a relationship sequence that almost plays like a little memoir of the past. You get the feeling it might even be a love song about hometowns and walks through museums as the subject matter, but it’s all in the mind. The bottom line is, Tash Hagz delivers the goods on this release in both audio and video formats.
Garth Thomas