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Michio Kurihara plays guitar in the exceedingly talented Tokyo psych outfit Ghost. Boris is a Japanese band perhaps best known for their collaboration with fellow doom rockers and labelmates Sunn O))), the results of which a friend recently called "the most dark, evil-sounding piece of music I think I've ever heard."

However, Ghost does not create pure revivalist folk-psychedelia, nor does Boris always wield the hammer of the gods in slow motion. Kurihara and Boris' willingness to experiment is evident on their new joint effort, Rainbow.

This willingness had me thinking again about the double-edged sword of Japanese experimentalism: while globally, heavy bands are often known for performing within tight genre conventions, diverse Japanese noise and rock acts such as Merzbow, Boredoms and Acid Mothers Temple do not edit themselves. This leads both to an unrivaled freedom of aesthetics and a glut of recordings--sometimes it seems that the tuning of a guitar would be considered an occasion for a limited edition release (I wouldn't be at all surprised if this has actually happened).

Happily, Rainbow, is not a throwaway record, though it does often sound nonchalant. It switches genres from track to track, leaping in the first three cuts from the catastrophic half-time of "Rafflesia," to the coolly and quietly swaying indie rock of the title track, to the Can vs. Moody Blues freakout "Starship Narrator." Despite the stylistic diversity, there is a consistency of vibe. Rainbow is stiched together by the needling lead lines of Kurihara and glued together by the production style, which is generally spare and classic sounding.

Kurihara's solos at times recall Neil Young's with Crazy Horse, and like that band, Boris leaves him plenty of room to stretch out, stinging the ears and at times wringing the heart.

The album's climax, the punishing "Sweet No. 1," is an example of Boris in full metal groove, with vocalist/guitarist Takeshi wailing Ozzy-like over a propulsive rhythm accentuated by a reverbed snare drum tuned to the key of the song. It's a challenge that Kurihara rises to, his fuzzy wah work revealing speed that his earlier solos merely hinted at.

Chops, however, are a small part of the equation when it comes down to a record's relevance for a listener. Rainbow is a record made by rock omnivores, playing freely and letting their influences spill out as they may. For some, that spirit will make this album a classic--a sort of distillation of all things rock. Other tastes may find it to be a mostly pleasant mix of familiar flavors.