The music business ebbs and flows, and the first half of the year tends to be slow. But just because you find yourself anticipating projects that (you hope) will drop later in the year more than whatever is out currently, that doesn't mean there's not some music worth celebrating. In fact, the first part of this year saw the return of Justin Timberlake and Daft Punk, major acts who had been on hiatus for years. And along the way, we heard great material from the likes of Charli XCX, Kid CudiQueens of the Stone Age, and many more. As summer approached, of course, the entire rap world was hyped up for the impending June 18 showdown between Kanye West, J. Cole, and Mac Miller. But who had the best album of the year? Find out in our list of The Best Albums of 2013 (So Far).

RELATED: The 50 Best Albums of 2016