Arborea sounds so distant and ghostly, like folk music written in some half-remembered dream. The married duo cuts a middle ground between the ancient and the modern. Reverse guitar lines and other psychedelic touches accent patient acoustic meditations, while Shanti Curran's haunting, ambient vocals imply Appalachian folk's Celtic roots without contrivance. The band plays oh-so-quietly; you'll have to pick between conversing and hearing the music. But if you come out, it's to hear the band, right? Chapel Hill's Animal Alphabet opens with graceful chamber folk, approaching the same insular sound with a wandering tableau of cello, double bass and reverberating piano. —Corbie Hill