Our next Montauk Madness matchup pits somebody it’s very cool to like against somebody it’s very uncool to like. Beck, meet John Mayer.
I’m a big fan of both of these guys, so I’ll try to keep the hipness factor out of my vote. I realize that appreciating John Mayer is not great for my street cred, but I think anybody who dismisses his musical chops or his songwriting ability is mistaken. Sure, the guy can be a smug prick and some of his songs veer too close to maudlin, but so many more are spot-on.
Alas, I say all that in defense of a guy I’m voting against in this round, because Beck is far too talented in too many different ways to dismiss this early in the contest. I can’t think of anybody else who can swing between surreal electronic hip-hop and heart-breaking acoustic folk and do both equally well. I can’t think of anybody else who’s even tried.
[Verse 1]
Looking for my place
On assembly lines
Fake prizes
Rising out of the bombholes
Skeleton boys hyped up on purple
Smoke rings blow from across the disco
Bank notes burn like broken equipment
Looking for shelter readjust your position
Thought control ghost written confessions
Two dimensions dumb your head down
Duck don’t look now company missiles
Power is raunchy rent-a-cops are watching
Making their dreams out of paper mache
Cliche wasted hate taste tested
[Chorus]
Hell yes i’m moving this way i’m doing this thing
(Please enjoy)
Hell yes i’m turning it on
I’m working my legs hell yes
I’m calling you out i’m switching my plates
(Please enjoy)
Hell yes
I’m cleaning the floor my beat is correct
[Verse 2]
Stretched to the limit attention spans
Snap back retract collapse into laugh tracks
Noise response applause and hand claps
Floodgates open to the sound of the rainbow
Breaking points on the verge of pointless
Fools anointed to the followers fanfare
Look for the common not superficial
Code red cola war conformity crisis
Perfunctory idols rewriting their bibles
With magic markers running out of their ink
Lives in white out
Turn the lights out
Fax machine anthems get your damn hands up
[Chorus]
Hell yes i’m moving this way i’m doing this thing
(Please enjoy)
Hell yes i’m turning it on i’m working my legs
Hell yes i’m calling you out i’m switching my plates
(Please enjoy)
Hell yes
I’m cleaning the floor
My beat is correct
[Outro]
(I like your bass)
Yes
(Your beat is nice)
Yes
Hell yes
Hell yes
Hell yes
Hell yes
Yes
Meet Me In Montauk 
My dislike of a Mayer the man and most of his music is well documented on this blog. Easy vot here for Beck. Bye John! Don’t let the repetitive chorus hit you on the door on the way out.
I can’t say I particularly like either of these artists. Both are a bit too pretentious for my taste. At least at my school people laud John Mayer as the best guitarist of all time and crazy accolades like that. John Mayer is a very talented guitarist no doubt though I wouldn’t put him up to the title of best of all time. I do think a lot of what John Mayer does it overrated, but at the same time I think that he has earned a lot of the cred he’s received. Ever since his CNN interview on how he is a reformed egotist, I do believe he’s been working to change who he is on a person and there are many songs on his more recent album that I like. He’s someone who worked hard and has serious talent and made it on the mainstream and you have to give credit for that. Though I appreciate Beck’s music and his ability to navigate genres, I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to actually listen to his music. Perhaps, I’m still upset because “Morning Phase” won over “Beyoncé”, but I’ve got to give this one to John Mayer.