"Photomaton" is French electropop trio Jabberwocky's (Camille Camara, Simon Pasquer, and Emmanuel Bretou) best known single from their debut album Lunar Lane (2013). It features guest vocals from Elodie Wildstars and an intriguing electronica production that utilizes heavy bass drums and unique electro beats - which work with Wildstars' somewhat lethargic vocals to produce an unexpected dance vibe.
It's the song's lyrical content that really stands out, however. Jed Fletcher's review reveals that the trio of medical students turned electropop producers have claimed that writer Gerard de Nerval's poetic image of “the black sun of melancholy” was the chief inspiration for their "genuinely academic study of the melancholic condition [...] [which describes] the condition of clinical depression through the medium of a femme fatale". Given that they also derived their band name from Lewis Caroll's famed 'nonsense' poem, they certainly seem to draw their influences from literature.
"Photomaton" basically consists of a female lyrical persona's existential crisis following a major break-up:
'Waiting for hope babeThere's no more light in my skySee the pills in my handI'm running through your liesYou've got nothing to sayTill I'm crossing the lineBut you can't kill my nameDemon's coming tonight
Lyrics source: Genius.com
This is a tired choice of theme for a song, but the song nevertheless manages a fresh spin with Wildstars' subdued, listless but nevertheless compelling vocals, some interesting turns of phrase (e.g. 'The dolls inside me cave in' and 'This happy violence is beating in my veins') and a dynamic electronica production. The accompanying music video (which seems to be really paying homage to Jabberwocky's label Pain Surprises Records) also offers intriguing visuals and a thought-provoking premise.
