The idea to make a soundtrack album for the book arose soon after the final draft of "The Animals" had been completed. Novelist Christian Kiefer produced a lengthy visual "score" for the book - mostly a collection of texts and images that he hoped would inspire the musicians involved, (a score available as a digital download with this release). This material was uploaded to the cloud along with sound samples, instructions, and ideas. He then invited various musicians to look through those materials. Tracks were flown into and out of the cloud and Kiefer set to assembling the project in his home studio in Northern California, recording more material, overdubbing, mixing, and mastering. Kiefer's projects often include collaborators, some of them quite well known. He has worked with Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker of Low, Wilco's Nels Cline, The Band's Garth Hudson, Smog's Bill Callahan, Califone, Rosie Thomas, Mark Kozelek of Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon, Will Johnson of Centro-Matic, and many others.