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Was 2011 the year for music nostalgia? After all, one of the most notable albums had the word “nostalgia” in its title (read on) and the top six best-reviewed albums according to Metacritic.com were all re-releases by Tago Mago, The Beach Boys, Smashing Pumpkins, Rolling Stones, U2 and Nirvana (with The Who in the No. 8 spot).

That doesn’t mean we should all be rummaging through our closets and dusting off our 45s, however. There was plenty of great new music to be had in 2011, even if a lot of it had you reminiscing about long-ago bands.

• “Strawberry Swing,” by Frank Ocean — New Orleans R&B/hip-hop singer Frank Ocean has co-written songs for Brandy and John Legend but didn’t make waves until this year, when he gave away a “mixtape” on his Tumblr blog called “Nostalgia, Ultra.”

One of its signature tracks was this cover of — of all bands — Coldplay. Ocean’s wonderfully evocative exercise in dream pop proves you shouldn’t typecast any musical artist whether they rock, swing, rap or yodel.

“Nostalgia, Ultra” is available for free download at www.datpiff.com and other websites.

• “We’re Rockin Out Tonight,” by Kid Creole & The Coconuts — Speaking of nostalgia: Yes, Kid Creole (aka August Darnell) is back and he sounds like he never went away.

A former member of the legendary disco/Latin funk group Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, Darnell went on to form his multi-racial carnival of a band in New York City in the early ’80s. The group’s first studio release in 10 years did not disappoint those who were yearning for that classic Coconuts sound.

“I Wake Up Screaming”

• “Amor Fati,” by Washed Out — For one solid week this month I was lost in this epic chillwave tune by Washed Out, which is really just one guy (28-year-old Ernest Greene or Georgia) who began producing songs in his bedroom studio.

No, I can’t make out the words and the production is decidedly low-fi, but this song just takes me to a different place (maybe Iceland, where the video was shot).

“Within and Without”

• “I Fall Asleep,” by The Mekons — One of the most criminally overlooked bands on the planet, The Mekons have been serving up their anarchic brand of country punk for more than three decades now with barely a clinker in their output.

As they get older, I’ve noticed their downtempo songs have become more grand: Tom Greenhalgh’s three-bourbon warble gives this majestic ballad an almost hymn-like feel.

“Ancient and Modern”

• “He Said I Can,” by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings — File under “new, but sounds old.” Cue up a Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings song and it’ll take you in a musical time machine back to four decades ago: funky grooves à la James Brown, tasty call-and-response vocals and a horn section that will make you party like it’s 1969.

(Full disclosure: This song isn’t technically from 2011, but was included on a new compilation of some of the band’s recent non-album tracks.)

“Soul Time!”

• “Noche De Terror,” by Davila 666 — Answers the question: “Whatever happened to The Hives?” OK, they’re from Puerto Rico, not Sweden, but the rowdy punks in Davila 666 serve

up a similar brand of lunatic-fringe garage rock with a healthy dose of ’60s bubblegum pop. They describe themselves as “Menudo on drugs.” ’Nuff said.

“Tan Bajo”

• “Something To Brag About,” by Deer Tick — Answers the question: “Why can’t more bands sound like The Replacements?” Blast this song, close your eyes and you’ll swear singer John McCauley is summoning Paul Westerberg from his “Hootenanny” days.

Now with four albums under their belts, these Providence rabble-rousers have a bright future if they can just follow a less-destructive path than the one offered up in “Let’s All Go to the Bar” and other ’Mats-like missives.

“Divine Providence”

• “Season’s Trees,” by Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi — One of the more intriguing matchups in 2011 was the collaboration between producer Danger Mouse (Brian Joseph Burton) and Italian composer Daniele Luppi on this tribute to Italian spaghetti Western movie music.

Add in vocals from Nora Jones and Jack White and you’ve got a true “What the hey?” production. But it works, as the resulting album is a marvel of atmospheric dream pop that’s perfect for a late-night spaghetti dinner.

“Rome”

• “The Words That Maketh Murder,” by PJ Harvey — One of the most consistent music-makers of the last — gasp! — 20 years came out with yet another knockout in 2011.

Here, Harvey channels Eddie Cochran’s teen anthem “Summertime Blues” (“What if I take my problem to the United Nations?”) in this pointed commentary on the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan.

“Let England Shake”

• “Hallelujah,” by John Boutté — This was my “New Orleans” year: a year when I listened to a lot of Crescent City R&B and jazz, hosted my first Mardi Gras party (complete with a decorated coconut for the Zula king and queen) and finally consummated my 20-year obsession with everything New Orleans with my first trip to the city with my wife, Michelle. One of the highlights was Saturday night at d.b.a. on Frenchman Street, where we heard John Boutté — he sings the title track to the HBO series “Treme” — dust off this old Leonard Cohen tune while we dabbed our eyes.

Robert Christgau once wrote that Toots Hibbert was the closest thing to Otis Redding that we have in this world. I would say that John Boutté is the closest thing we have to Sam Cooke — only Boutté’s response to that would be “I f--kin’ sound like John Boutté!” And he’d be right. (By the way, the video here was shot in 2010 at d.b.a.; I love how Boutté deals with the loudmouths in the back.)

“Live at 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival”