While Mexican bands like Panda, Delux and Insite look to recent American pop punk and emo for inspiration, Guadalajara's dream rockers Porter appear to have their eyes set on the European post-rock of Sigur Rós and Radiohead.

In early 2005, less than a year after forming, Porter released their debut EP, Donde Los Ponys Pastan. Comprised of Fernando de la Huerta (Guitar), Juan Carlos Pereda (Vocals), Diego Rangel (Bass), Giovanni Paolo Lechatelli (Drums) and Víctor Valverde (Guitar), the band scored its first hit with Espiral, a floaty track pulled along by Pereda's Thom Yorke-meets-Saul Hernandez falsetto. In the months that followed, Porter dropped three more singles, "No Te Encuentro," "Bipolar," and Daphne, a wispy lament with lyrics sung in English and Spanish.

Last year, Porter released its highly anticipated debut, Atemahawke. The rollicking English-language single Host of a Ghost picks up where Donde Los Ponys Pastan left off – what Los Angeles indie-rockers Silversun Pickups would sound like with even more hints of Billy Corgan or Jón Birgisson in the vocals. (Tired of effete pathos? So is Porter. Their sincere disco on Xoloitzcuintle Chicloso is full-bodied and chipper, not unlike classic Cafe Tacvba.)

With a strong presence on MySpace, Porter is steadily building its fan base in the U.S., appearing on the Chicas Project Soundtrack with bands like Aterciopelados and The Pinker Tones. The four-piece will have a chance to wow American concert goers this Spring when they perform at the prestigious Coachella Festival with fellow Mexican acts Austin TV and Café Tacvba.

see: www.myspace.com/porterband

If you're down with the The Chicas Project, you've probably found yourself humming the music playing while the girls went ballistic or jumped out of a plane. Hum no more – the official soundtrack for The Chicas Project has just been released. For fans of the program, it's a must-have. But even if you've never felt for the chicas, you can't go wrong with this welcome sampler of some of best acts in new music. Oh, and yeah, it's Latin music – ¿y ke? (Fans of Morning Becomes Eclectic, you've been served.)

Venezuela's Cuarto Poder ("the fourth estate") gets the party started with strong, reggaetón vocals in the beautifully arranged "Arenita Playita." On the same reggaelicious vibe, Monareta, Brooklyn-based cut-up tropicalistas, head for the Mexican caribbean with their echoey "Llama" while Colombia's Bomba Estereo manage to take the cumbia to outer space and back with "Tamobora."

The tempo goes up a notch with Mexico's solo producer, the Mexican Institute of Sound, and the big sounds of his house-inspired "Hey Tía," a track well-complemented by old hands the Nortec Collective and their speedy, dreamy norteño "Revu Rockers." But it's Karma Hunters, the show's theme song, by Spain's The Pinker Tones which, like Beck on Ritalin, is the most upbeat offering in the mix.

Like all good summer party mixes, the soundtrack knows when to take a breather. New York City's buzzworthy girl-boy duo Pacha Massive offer a breathy, almost trippy take on a perfect sunset with Don't Let Go while Chile's Bitman & Roban turn to a smoothly distorted synthesizer to drive "Answer 2 The Beat" into an ocean filled with cyborg dolphins and water skiing robots.

The beach bonfire lights up with a surprising collection of up-to-date and heartfelt ballads by two Guadalajara, Mexico-based acts: Porter's pensive Daphne and Sara Valenzuela's "Dejar Entrar" – a luscious track that makes us wonder why the ex-La Dosis singer has not yet blown up. Proving good things come in twos, Aterciopelados members Andrea Echeverri and Hector Buitrago bring the duo's sophisticated take on perfect pop with the bittersweet "Frases" and the almost angular rock of "Altisimo."

For those who like to party into the morning hours, the soundtrack closes with a pair of bangers: Monareta's crisp, barely acidy remix of Aterciopelados' "Improvisa" and Sussie 4's gasping, grotty "afterparty" take on Sara Valenzuela's Para Continuar.

Buy the soundtrack at iTunes or eMusic.com. For more details, visit the soundtrack's MySpace page.