2013 in music was a year dominated by comebacks; from the long-awaited return of acts including David Bowie and Justin Timberlake to surprise releases from Daft Punk and Beyoncé.

It was also a year that saw many of the regular big chart players - including Katy Perry, Arctic Monkeys and Lady Gaga - return to varying degrees of success, while an array of new acts delivered impressive debuts.

We atDigital Spy have whittled down our favourite 30 albums of the year, starting with numbers 30 to 16 below.

30. Frightened Rabbit:Pedestrian Verse
Released: February 4
Chart Peak: No. 9

We said: "Their hubbub may be broader and ambitious but it's still gritty, though it's Hutchison's charged real talk that makes this album so compelling.Pedestrian Verse [is] the album Frightened Rabbit were always supposed to make. Being a cult band is cool and everything, but that's nothing on sounding like you're about to take over the world."

29. Kavinsky:OutRun
Released: February 22
Chart Peak: -

We said: "Fellow French co-producer SebastiAn is on hand throughout to assist in the glitchy and avant-garde production (save Daft Punk-helmed 'Nightcall'), but guest spots from rapper Havoc on the smoky 'Suburbia' and Tyson on soul-infused 'First Blood' are convincing efforts that Kavinsky isn't entirely living in an '80s bubble. The result is a debut both strangely hypnotic and effortlessly cool."

28. Fall Out Boy:Save Rock N Roll
Released: April 15
Chart Peak: No. 2

We said: "It's on the Elton John-assisted title track that the band truly shine. The rousing mid-tempo track has a chorus as big as the statement it makes. Fall Out Boy aren't actually saving rock and roll (does it need saving?), but their return to music is more than welcome because, let's face it, no-one's above a collection of expertly-made punk-pop anthems."

27. Swim Deep:Where The Heaven Are We
Released: August 5
Chart Peak: No. 20

We said: "In his sweet, tranquil vocal, singer Austin Williams must mention the sun and/or sunshine at least a hundred times throughout Where the Heaven Are We - which for a band from the damp West Midlands is oddly admirable. Given 2013 was the year some marked for a guitar rock resurgence, the much-hyped Palma Violets and Peace never quite delivered with their first efforts. Here's a new band who have."

26. The 1975:The 1975
Released: September 2
Chart Peak: No. 1

We said: "We're not saying The 1975 aren't primarily a rock band, but they're certainly not afraid to dabble in other genres. 'M.O.N.E.Y.' hears frontman Matt Healy's swirling robotic vocals over light R&B claps, before a guitar funk line reinforces the decade their namesake comes from. Brace yourselves: a new Britpop era is upon us - but with The 1975's debut at the helm, it's likely to be one full of surprises."

25. Lorde:Pure Heroine
Released: October 28
Chart Peak: No. 4

We said: "She delivers each song with a low and often menacing growl that complements the sparse yet compelling post-hip-hop production, which she had a significant hand in. 'Buzzcut Season' hears her longing over light percussive snaps and a trickling xylophone that steadily blossom towards a tropical finale, while closer 'A World Alone' is essentially Lorde doing Robyn's 'Dancing On My Own', which is no bad thing. The result is a startlingly confident debut that, with a few tweaks, has the potential to set her up as the next global superstar."

24. Ciara:Ciara
Released: July 5
Chart peak: No. 42

We said: "The album mostly bucks the trend soundwise, opting for grinding bass on the menacingly seductive 'Sophomore' and finger-snapping sass on 'Read My Lips'; an eye-poppingly explicit number that, despite its earworm hooks and killer chorus, is unlikely to soar up the charts in the current climate."

23. Kanye West:Yeezus
Released: June 18
Chart peak: No. 1

We said: "An eerily dark and daring record infused with hipster house, punk, stadium-shaking rock, soul and hip-hop courtesy of co-producers Rick Rubin, Daft Punk, No ID and RZA."

22. John Newman:Tribute
Released: October 14
Chart peak: No. 1

We said: "The list of influences for John Newman's debut may be long, but rather than emulating his idols, he is in fact following in their footsteps - andTribute gets him off to a very strong start."

21. Lady Gaga:Artpop
Released: November 11
Chart peak: No. 1

We said: "The amount of hits onARTPOP considerably outweighs the misses (there's a brilliant 10-track album to be found in it); though not all of them will necessarily present themselves on first listen."

20. Tegan and Sara:Heartthrob
Released: February 11
Chart peak: No. 38

We said: "The breeze-blasting chorus of lead single 'Closer' does its best to help longtime fans adjust to the new T&S; but with its cheerleader-style chants and synth-drenched verses courtesy of executive producer Greg Kurstin, the learning curve is steep."

19. London Grammar:If You Wait
Released: September 9
Chart peak: No. 2

We said: "It's the force of Reid's voice that makes the notion of her fragility a compelling idea. It's for this reason alone that their take on Kavinsky's already insanely good 'Nightcall' is bewitching and avoids the expected album filler status."

18. Disclosure:Settle
Released: June 3
Chart peak: No. 1

We said: "Their debut album forgoes the current trend for speaker-splitting identikit EDM in favour of the kind of smooth grooves and spacious beats you'd expect to find on a club classics compilation."

17. Haim:Days Are Gone
Released: September 30
Chart peak: No. 1

We said: "The result is a supremely confident debut from a band that not only successfully straddles all manner of genres, but also multiple decades in time. What's more, they do so with ease."

16. MS MR:Secondhand Rapture
Released: May 10
Chart peak: No. 65

We said: "It's clear from the off that MS MR have an uncanny ability to pair realistic lyrics of love, despair and heartbreak with otherworldly melodies and flamboyant production."

Come back tomorrow to find out our top 15 albums of 2013