The new long player, Yay For Effort, a solo effort by eclectic and versatile rocker Greg Hoy, reveals piano and acoustic leitmotifs as well as lyrical reflections about recent personal losses, including Hoy’s father, a college bandmate, and his mentor. Shaped by the vintage Eventide Harmonizer effects unit Hoy picked up when San Francisco’s Tiny Telephone Studio closed, it infuses the album with an array of movable sounds. Encompassing 10 tracks, Yay For Effort opens with “Oh No,” a melancholic tune riding stripped-down harmonics: drums, bass, and acoustic guitar. The lyrics release raw emotions covered in enflamed scar tissue as Hoy narrates his inner aching pain. Highlights include the title track, vaguely reminiscent of U2, with its thrumming intensity and descriptive, layered resonance...