by Jason Ankeny
A stunning return to form, Dreamy reprises the dark aggression of the preceding Black Candy, but brings to the table a significantly stronger and more assured collection of songs. Measuring Calvin Johnson's increasingly menacing lead turns with Heather Lewis' more wistful contributions, the album strikes a careful balance between maturity and naïveté; for all of their ragged minimalism, tracks like &Collide,& &Revolution Come and Gone,& and &Me Untamed& are remarkably sophisticated and assured. And in addition to the newfound sexiness of cuts like &Nancy Sin& and &Red Head Walking,& there's also a renewed sense of emotional urgency -- Heather's beguiling &Fortune Cookie Prize& is one of the group's most buoyant love songs, while the mournful &Cry for a Shadow& exposes the tenderness beneath Calvin's tough-guy veneer.