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Writing songs and writing fiction aren't so very different. Language and rhythm must work together in the best of both.

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Much-decorated UNB professor Mark Anthony Jarman is quick to credit music as helping his muse. "Music is a big influence on my writing; I play music all the time while I write," he says by e-mail.

Clearly, it's working for Jarman. Besides winning a Gold National Magazine Award in nonfiction, among other awards, a quick search for reviews of his work turns up fulsome praise. There's this bit from Booker-prize winning A.S. Byatt in The Guardian: "Jarman's collection is called 19 Knives, and it is brilliant. The writing is extraordinary, the stories are gripping, it is something new."

Jarman's new collection, My White Planet came out May 20.

It was with some agonizing pleasure that Jarman, who plays harmonica in the Fredericton blues band Toredown, picked out his current favourite 10 songs to share with our readers.

- Telegraph-Journal

1. The Infanta - The Decemberists

This band is my current musical addiction; I play them day and night. They can do soft acoustic guitar and mandolin and they can do full orchestral swell and distorted guitars. They seem influenced by traditional Irish music and folk, but also verge on prog rock (think Yes and swirling keyboards tangents). A bit reminiscent of bands like Pavement, Weezer, or Neutral Milk Hotel, and very literate. I'd bet money the songwriter-singer has an English degree.

2. I Wanna Holler (But the Town's Too Small) - The Detroit Cobras

The Detroit Cobras mix the sound of '60s girl groups with Bo Diddley blues and fuzztone riffs. 'Slipping Around' is great, but 'I Wanna Holler (But the Town's Too Small)' is inspired and could be about Freddy Beach.

3. Swan Pond - Julie Doiron

Julie Doiron, the pride of Sackville. I saw her video for 'Swan Pond' on Bravo and thought that must be the pond where our Jack Russell chased some very tough swans. I bought her CD for the sad bluesy feel of this one song, but the entire album is excellent. Pick it up at Backstreet Records.

4. Autumn Sweater - Yo La Tengo

This song has a very simple keyboard riff and laidback vocals, but it is slyly charming and captivating and I don't know why. It's just a catchy tune. The band put out an EP of remixed versions, but the original is the best.

5. Tried So Hard - Gene Clark

Gene Clark was one of the original Byrds and in Dillard & Clark, but he seems almost forgotten. I used to love listening to this song when heartbroken in high school (tried so hard to please her"‚."‚."‚.). Two of his songs grace the Robert Plant and Allison Kraus collaboration and I assume that's producer T Bone Burnett picking the tunes. REM wouldn't exist without Gene Clark; the vocal qualities are very similar.

6. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division

What can you say about Joy Division, the most depressing band in the world? Strangely, they make me happy.

7. Apache - the Shadows

I saw the local band CGI play this surf guitar classic at Riverjam last week; their take was chilling, entering the cinematic territory of Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns and Quentin Tarantino.

8. Short Skirt, Long Jacket - Cake

This is a request from my son Kelly and wife Sharon for this catchy song, but Cake's covers of Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs' and Kenny Rogers' 'Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town' are surprisingly affecting as well.

9. Flying Shoes - Townes Van Zandt

Anything by Townes, a stellar songwriter, but I'll single out 'Flying Shoes' simply because I saw Lyle Lovett croon an achingly slow version with haunting pedal steel guitar. This was soon after the sudden death of Townes and I thought it a touching tribute.

10. New York, New York - Cat Power

Check out this upbeat version from her latest album 'Jukebox.' Also worthy are her morbid covers of Bob Dylan's 'Moonshiner' or 'Satisfaction' by the Stones where her deconstructions reveal barebones beauty. Please invite her to the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival.