Connected was one of the first songs to be written for the album and features the use of several mobile phone ringtones treated with noises and effects along with a melody that Andy describes as "Like Electricity combined with 66 & Fading". Favoured as a possible single.

Root Mean Square is an unusual track as it was written completely on drums combing both electrical and acoustic drum sets. Mal Holmes describes it as "very percussive".

The Transformer was another early song that uses some unusual sound effects culled from ordinary household objects such as an electric whisk, toaster and broom handle. Andy wasn't happy with the original version and also added an entire orchestra to the backing for the final version.

Twin and Earth is a moody ballad that features a wistful melody overlaid with a swirling wash of sound that could be described as an atmospheric flange.

Overcurrent is an instrumental track that features guest vocals from Karl Bartos. Andy describes the sound as being "like putting a Korg MS20 in a vice and then chucking the whole lot down the stairs".

Single-Phase is a short track that was started as purely an experiment that came together in the studio. Paul Humphreys describes it as "Disturbing - but in a nice way".

The Energy Suite (Parts V-VII) is an unused piece originally written for The Energy Suite.

The Fire of the Mind (Agitates the Atmosphere) is a 10 minute instrumental that uses treated electronic effects which have been put through an oven. The final result has then been overlaid by a melody on the Tenorion to produce a sound which Mal compared to "several buildings falling down at once on a rainy day".

You Had Me is a cover version of the Joss Stone single that was originally released in 2004.

Atmospheric is a broody gothic track that brings to mind the sound of Organisation. It features a Mellotron as well as electronic trumpets and toy piano. Andy describes the song as being "Atmospheric".

Automatic Kitten is a previously unreleased OMD song that was the inspiration for the band Atomic Kitten. Very poppy and sad.

Big Fanta Morning was the last song written for the album and was inspired by the gesture that a major company made in a bid for sponsorship.

The album's title was inspired by a painting by the early 20th Century artist Louis Wain. Enjoying early success for his drawings of cats, Wain later tried drawing giraffes with less success.

The album was originally titled The Transformer, an idea that Andy felt might be attributed to the Lou Reed album Transfomer. Confusingly, Andy has also explained how much of the album was inspired by Lou Reed.

Karl Bartos contributed to the album for free provided Andy gave him the lyrics to VCLXI.

Sleeve notes by Paul Morley.

This is the first OMD album to feature a cover version of a Joss Stone song but, as Andy remarks, "It certainly won't be the last".

The sleeve design was by Peter Saville who had been commissioned to start work on the concept in 2003. It was still a week late before it arrived at the printers.