When Beth Orton’s “Trailer Park” came out in 1996, she made her name with a hybrid “folktronica” style that distinguished her from her peers. Fast-forward to now, and Orton’s abandoned the “-tronica” and dug deeper into pre-rock (heck, pre-Industrial Revolution) British folk, making “Sugaring Season” the sonic equivalent of leafless trees bending in the wind under a gray sky. With hollowed-out acoustic chords and a voice that typically stands Orton at a stoic remove, there’s an autumnal feel coursing its way through the album; the band behind her only adds to the brittleness of “Magpie” and “Candles.” The warmest songs are the least compelling, but in their way, they strengthen “Sugaring Season” for varying up the tone. Upon concluding “See Through Blue” — a brief, uncharacteristic music-hall waltz with quizzical strings and a more expressive, borderline sultry vocal — Orton turns right back around with “Poison Tree,” as chilly and stark as you’re likely to find this side of Traffic’s “John Barleycorn (Must Die).” (Out Tuesday)

ESSENTIAL “Poison Tree”