While the wry and erudite blend of reggae, salsa, and lounge music on Río practically sings the praises of globalization, Columbian duo Andrea Echeverri and Hector Buitrago refuse to abandon the world-in-crisis theme of every Aterciopelados record since 1998’s Caribe Atómico. There are some uncharacteristically sunny lyrical moments, as Echeverri trades puns with her young daughter on “Ataque de Risa” and assembles items from a picnic shopping list on “Tomate.” Of course, righteous indignation comes to the forefront with blazing attacks on global warming (“Dia Paranormal”) and Columbia’s potable-water crisis (on the record’s muy caliente bookends “Río” and “Agüita”). Soothing sounds and tremolo guitars belie the furious lyrical bent, but the group’s musical palette has expanded enormously to encompass everything from hip-hop to electronica over the past decade. It’s proof positive that old punks don’t lose their edge—they just cultivate better taste.

ATERCIOPELADOS PERFORMS THURSDAY AT 8:30 P.M. AT THE STATE THEATRE, 220 N. WASHINGTON ST., FALLS CHURCH. $26. (703) 237-0300.