Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat 3.5/5
Pop's moodiest teen gives a first taste of her curated The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 soundtrack with "Yellow Flicker Beat." Lorde's buzzy, veiny vocals complement a synth-blotched beat, which throbs beneath reflections on mortality. "I never watch the stars, there's so much down here," she sings. Can't say she's a dreamer. --Steven J. Horowitz
Fergie - L.A. Love (La La) 3/5
It has been eight years since Fergie blasted into solo stardom with The Dutchess, and time hasn’t deflated her swag. She pulls out all the right stops here, drawling nails-tough raps over a DJ Mustard beat. It's only the hook, a literal listing of city names, that's clumsy. Let's hope the second time's a charm. --S.J.H.
Azealia Banks - Chasing Time 4/5
Azealia Banks has been quiet since her bitter split from Interscope, but the Harlem MC's latest -- a house music shaker powered by adept singing and sharp raps -- is her best offering yet. "My attitude is bitchy," she snarls. That attitude has been sorely missed -- on an actual record, not just Twitter. --Dan Hyman
1D - Steal My Girl 4.5/5
Can the world's biggest boy band dabble in classic rock? One Direction has recently shifted away from bubblegum pop -- and with stabbed piano keys, stomp-clap percussion and guitar screeches, "Steal My Girl" represents the group's most tremendous Van Halen impression yet.--J.L.
Elliphant Featuring MØ - One More 3.5/5
Sweden's Elliphant and Denmark's MØ have yet to break stateside, but two electro-pop Scandinavians are better than one. "One More" sports a bewitching nursery-rhyme hook that resists the urge to explode, instead gliding at half-speed so the songstresses can bounce exclamations off each other. --Jason Lipshutz
http://www.billboard.com/singles-rev...ebook_20141003
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