While most of us may be too young to remember a time when crooners overwhelmed the music scene with scintillating little numbers, decked out in three-piece suits and topped off with a glass of scotch on the rocks, others are nostalgic for a time that was never theirs.  Patrick Cleandenim is one of these youngsters; he understands just how enticing the days of yesteryear are. His debut album, Baby Comes Home, is more than a just throwback to a decade passed. It’s a tribute to time when charm and glamour were admired qualities.

Originally from Lawrence, Kansas, Patrick Clendenin Roberts is a 22-year-old with vision.  (And yes, Patrick Cleandenim is a play on his birth name – though it somehow seems a weak name for such a strong act).  His debut, which was released on Ba Da Bing records -- a smaller indie-pop label founded by Ben Goldberg which is also home to acts like Beirut, Six Organs of Admittance, and Sons & Daughters --  has received much attention from the press and peers for its fresh blend of indie and retro sounds..

The title tracks open the album. It’s a slow tune in which we can easily imagine Mr. Roberts  strutting around, snapping his fingers as he saunters down the street.  He tears into the opening line: "I saw you walking with a vampire last night/And he said there's something that I'd like to show you."  The title track is so for an obvious reason - it neatly summarizes everything Patrick Cleandenim is about, as pinpointed by Pitchfork Media in their review of the album.  Eric Harvey says Cleandenim's music highlights the decadence of "the dark side of the high life."

Elements of the high life are more than apparent on the album, particularly on the lush and mature string arrangements on each track.  While the arrangements are strong enough to instill the album with an overwhelming atmosphere and mood, each track remains individual enough to stand strong on its own.  It's easy to feel that classic Hollywood musical slickness, especially when the album art could easily be a still from “The Maltese Falcon,” with Mr. Roberts posed with a shotgun and scotch, lounging -- or perhaps brooding -- on an armchair.

Perhaps the most atmospheric and most obvious throwback to an earlier time is "Until You Said I'm Gone."  It's easy to picture Mr. Roberts casually placing his blazer over a chair, rolling up his sleeves, and delivering a real slick line to his object of desire.  With lines like: "I'll see you in the summertime/when the moon shines above/oh and I'll say to you/Oh now even when you hurt me babe/ you know that I can be blind," you can't help but be carried back to a time when swooners still knew just what to say to get the girl.

But if there is one song that’s most likely to sweep a girl off her feet, it’s definitely “Rocket to the Moon.”  No one could resist the lines: "There's got to be something I can do to catch her eye/There's got to be some I can do to make her sigh/If it's on the telephone you know that it wont do/If it's in a letter you know that letter will come unglued."

While the album is clearly inspired by another time, there is still a more contemporary feel to certain tracks like "Birds of Fashion," which serves as Mr. Roberts idea of indie-pop.  Still, the track maintains its retro inspiration with a backing choir that could easily have been ripped off the screen of a 1950's musical, as well as an outstanding brass section.  Mr. Roberts croons, "These eyes are here to see you/These arms are here to hold you/I've got feet so I can dance to/The songs I feel romance to," highlighting the age-old sense of desire with old-school rhymes.

Still a new act, it's hard to find too much press on Patrick Cleandenim.  Aside from the odd album review here and there, an unjustly low rating from Pitchfork (only a 6.9 out of 10), and a few videos on their MySpace page, this little group has managed to remain under the radar.  Perhaps this is because people are not into the darker side of indie pop or its just that Mr. Roberts just isn't ready for his moment in the sun.  With this debut and a sophomore album expected in the summer of 2008, we can only wait to see how much further back into musical history they'll venture.