Though two of its members have much higher-profile pedigrees than many of the groups that the Demo2DeRo column addresses--Dan "Vapid" Schafer has played in Screeching Weasel and the Riverdales, as well as leading the Methadones, and Jeff Dean is in the Bomb--their new collaboration with bassist Rick Uncapher (Textbook) and drummer Jimmy Lucido on the debut album "Yeah, Whatever..." could easily be overlooked outside the punk underground, and that would be a shame.

Despite the cheeky, hinting-at-generic sounds moniker, Noise By Numbers draws inspiration from the fertile'80s indie-rock scene of Husker Du, the Replacements, Dinosaur Jr. and their ilk as well as classic Chicago punk sounds like Naked Raygun and the Effigies to inject a heaping dose of sing-along melody into every propulsive and hard-hitting groove, making for an instantly familiar yet somehow distinctive and fresh-sounding formula: Good tunes are timeless, and they're always welcome.

The band has two impressive gigs in the coming weeks, at the Beat Kitchen on Dec. 4 and opening for Rise Against at Metro on Dec. 18, but a sampling of its songs are streaming now at www.myspace.com/noisebynumbers.

In addition to bearing a striking and somewhat unsettling resemblance to a young John Mayer, Chicago singer and songwriter Derek Nelson at times skirts a similar "vaguely rootsy meets bland pop pandering" sound on some of the tracks from his debut EP, "Something Obscure," a six-song effort for which he seemingly spared no expense. (Recorded in Chicago, it was mixed at the famous alt-rock sanctum of Smart Studios in Madison, Wisc.)

Yet while a track such as "Tightrope Walker" is easily dismissed as romantic fluff, others such as "Sidestreets in London" have a more heartfelt lyrical approach and winning musical touches like melancholy violin and endearingly Dylanesque harmonica. In other words, it could go either way for this young aspirant--he's only got a handful of gigs under his belt to date--and one hopes he'll take the more challenging, less predictable path. Meanwhile, sample his music at www.dereknelsonmusic.com or www.myspace.com/derekchristophernelson.

It's hard to ignore a pitch like, "Think pop like Coca-Cola, think raw fun like Ecstasy, think catchy like a lacrosse stick," if only because you want to counter, "No way this band is going to sound like that much fun!" But sure enough, Jesse Palter & the Alter Ego deliver on those promises with a strong four-song EP currently streaming on the Web at www.myspace.com/jessepalterthealterego and www.palterego.com.

Vocalist Jesse Palter and multi-instrumentalist Sam Barsh began their collaboration in 2006. Both had enviable reputations in the jazz world--Palter was named "Outstanding Jazz Vocalist" for three years in a row at the Detroit Music Awards before moving to Chicago, while Barsh has played with names such as Cassandra Wilson, Bobby McFerrin and the Brand New Heavies--but the goal of the Alter Ego was to bring their considerable chops to the often simplistic genre of dance-pop, creating irresistible hooks and undeniable grooves that are as smart and sophisticated as they are silly good-time fun.

In other words, Lady Gaga, watch out! (The band recently played Martyr's; watch its Web sites for other upcoming gigs.)

A veteran of the Second City Touring Company, suburban Chicago native Denise La Grassa made her mark in that talented troupe with a bit called "Make-A-Song," writing and performing tunes on the spot based on any topic the audience shouted out. That loose, carefree and immediate vibe still permeates her third album, the recent D.I.Y. release "April Dreams," but don't let it fool you into thinking the music is tossed-off.

With an impressive but never showy range and a self-assured, conversational delivery that brings to mind a jazzier Aimee Mann, La Grassa offers uniquely personal and melodically powerful takes on romance in standout originals such as "Yesterday's Replay" and "Best Day," while local producer Matt Thompson (the Mighty Blue Kings, Frisbee) captures the spare but perfect accompaniment of a four-piece backing band.

Currently based in downstate Bloomington, La Grassa regularly gigs throughout the Midwest. Check her Website, www.deniselagrassa.com, for dates, and sample her music there or at www.myspace.com/deniselagrassa.

A sophisticated and mature singer and songwriter with a disarming little-girl voice, Sue Fink has honed her craft on the local folk scene, performing regularly at venues such as Uncommon Ground. That woodshedding, coupled with a tastefully fleshed-out sound on her new album "Thoughts at an Intersection," are part of what make her stand out from the many other musicians gently strumming their acoustic guitars.

The real appeal, however, is Fink's distinctive, off-kilter worldview, as witnessed in songs such as "Alternate Universe" ("In my alternate universe/Things only get better, not worse") and the anti-corporate-naming-rights anthem "Formerly Chicago" ("And in the city formerly known as Chicago/In either Nike or Reebok Field/I parted the Starbucks flowers/And in the tall GM grasses I kneeled"), written even before the city's tallest building became the Willis Tower.

Fink celebrates the release of her second D.I.Y. disc at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Orphanage, 643 W. 31st , or her songs and videos can be sampled on the Web at www.suefink.com and www.myspace.com/chicagosuefink.

Though they remain resolutely unfashionable, a number of impressive groups in the Chicago underground are devoted to forwarding the progressive-rock traditions of the '70s, including the instrumental virtuosity and musical eclecticism, with hints of more modern and metallic sounds ala Coheed and Cambria or System of a Down. To this list we can now add the South Side quintet Ideamen.

Formed in 2006 and comprised of lead vocalist Dave Solar, keyboardist Tim Swanson, bassist Mark Vasquez, guitarist Dan Figurell and drummer Phil Goodrich, Ideamen made their recorded debut with a strong five-song EP called "Progress." Now, they've followed that up with an even more melodic, precisely arranged and gleefully inventive album entitled "May You Live in Interesting Times," to be released next week by the Los Angeles indie label Rotten Records.
If the vocals can become a bit helium-squeaky at times--hardly a new problem in prog (see also: Jon Anderson of Yes and the guys in Supertramp)--the melodies and rhythms are powerful enough to hold your interest through all the time changes and unexpected detours.

These sounds can be sampled online at www.myspace.com/ideamen, you can read more about the group at www.iloveideamen.com and you can catch it onstage at the Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont, during a combination CD release show and Halloween Extravaganza starting at 8 p.m. on Oct. 30.

National Geographic has defined light pollution as "ill-designed lighting [that] washes out the darkness of night and radically alters the light levels--and light rhythms--to which many forms of life, including ourselves, have adapted." Light pollution, the phenomenon, threatens migration, reproduction and feeding in the natural world. But Light Pollution, the band, is much more benign in its swirling, hypnotic and alternately sweetly melodic and unsettlingly disorienting washes of reverb, analog synthesizers, clattering percussion and lo-fi noise.

Originally formed by vocalist and bandleader Jim Cicero and his drummer-pal Matt Evertt [CQ] in DeKalb when Cicero was attending Northern Illinois University, the group, which expands to a quartet onstage, has become a much-buzzed fixture on the Chicago club scene, thanks to its mix of vintage '90s shoegazer psychedelia and more currently hip freak folk a la Grizzy Bear. What's more, it's beginning to garner attention throughout the Midwest as it tours to build anticipation for a forthcoming full-length album, following on the heels of last year's self-titled debut EP. Three enchanting tracks are streaming on the band's Web site--www.myspace.com/lightpollution--and after an impressive roster of far-flung gigs, it returns to its current home for a show at Schubas on Nov. 22.

Leave was the sort of hard-working, extremely talented but never flashy, meat-and-potatoes Midwestern power-pop band that can be heard in two or three venues around town on any given night, and which always prompts a smile. It's the kind of group that's all too easy to take for granted--until it's gone.

I last celebrated the effervescent grooves, tight harmonies and chiming guitars of bandleader Mike Murphy, guitarist Jim Latsis, drummer Terry Keating and bassist Joe Herrmann in one of the periodic roundups of local demos and D.I.Y. releases that were the precursor to this column in 2003. I kept an eye on their doings in the years that followed, but didn't get around to writing about them again until now, as their latest self-released album "On a Happy Note" arrives with both the best music and the saddest news they've given us.

The new disc commemorates Murphy's last recordings, completed two days before his death at the hands of a hit-and-run driver last year. The sounds can be sampled online at www.myspace.com/leavechicago, but it would be even better to celebrate it live from 3 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 115 Bourbon Street, 3359 W. 115th St. in Merrionette Park, during the "Murph's Gift of Music Benefit," a fundraiser for the Michael J. Murphy Music Scholarship Fund to provide lessons and instruments to children and teens who don't have the financial means. More information can be found at www.murphsgiftofmusic.org.

The influence of Vampire Weekend with its blend of African guitars and polyrhythms and indie-pop vocals is apparent throughout the five tracks on the self-titled debut EP by the Wicker Park quartet Yawn. But what the group lacks in originality it more than makes up for with sheer joyful exuberance on songs such as "Toys" and "Empress," streaming on the Web at http://www.myspace.com/metrovoxmusic. And the group does put its own unique stamp on the "Graceland"-derived grooves with more cascading percussion and burbling synthesizers.

Formed by Adam, Daniel, Jorge and Sam--no surnames for this unassuming foursome--the band claims to have been making music together since the members all were in their late teens. A fresh-faced enthusiasm permeates their current output--the four describe themselves as "now grown but not quite matured... playing with toys and bringing joy to the masses"--and it promises a lack of pretension and abundance of good cheer in their live shows. They next take the stage at 9 p.m. on Halloween night, Oct. 31, at Snack Manor in Ravenswood; visit their Web site for more info.

Celebrating the recent release of an EP entitled "Be Safe, Beware," the Chicago quartet Color Radio has been turning heads with a sophisticated sound that belies the band's young age: It only came into its own in late 2008, when Jonathan and Tohm Ifergan, two brothers who relocated from Mexico City, joined forces with Matt Thomas and Joel Chasco. The four are dedicated to exploring a subtle, nuanced, introspective and alternately uplifting and haunting sound that evokes national indie acts such as the Appleseed Cast and the Album Leaf as well as Chicago underground heroes such as the Aluminum Group, and songs like "Newest News" and the title track prove they're worthy of being considered in that kind of company.

Following its recent record release show at the Empty Bottle, the band will perform next at Columbia College's Hokin Annex on Oct. and at the Cubby Bear on Oct. 29. You can find more information and sample the group's sounds on the Web at http://www.myspace.com/colorradio.