Ben Lee Recording With Smashing Pumpkins And Alanis... Sort Of

Ben Lee is currently in Los Angeles working on his new album with producer John Alagia (Dave Matthews, John Mayer) and is having a hard time figuring out the best songs.

"We are in the process of working through the top 25 of the 80 songs I've written, in order to choose the 18 that we will record," Lee wrote on his website in early March. "From there we will need to pick the 11 or 12 that will make the album. I've never had this big a pool of material to choose from."

Lee also says that he is working at the same studio as some other big names.

"The Smashing Pumpkins are downstairs, Alanis Morissette is down the hall and the Scorpions are next door!" Lee writes. "It's the first time I've recorded an album in a big classic studio like this. I usually work in home studios, so this is a whole different side of the recording world I am learning about."

Although it's still too early to tell if it will make the final cut, Lee is excited about a tune called "Love Me Like The World Is Ending," a track he started writing two years ago in India. A video of Lee and Alagia running through the song "Sex Without Love" has also been posted.

In related news, a documentary about the musician is close to being completed. Australian filmmaker Amiel Courtin-Wilson has worked on the project for more than seven years and was recently looking for fans in New York and Los Angeles to speak about their experiences being a fan of Ben Lee.

Lee, whose last album was 2005's Awake Is The New Sleep, won't be touring much while at work on the new album, but he does have a gig set for Los Angeles on March 21.