If I’m putting my cards on the table, chamber-pop has never really moved the needle for me. Sure, I can appreciate the artistry and commitment to songcraft, but too often the music feels tethered to formal convention and, frankly, a bit stodgy. And yet. And yet! There’s a part of me that can’t help applaud when artists take their instruments and apply them in unique and interesting ways. Enter Takénobu, a collaboration between Japanese-American cellist and vocalist Nick Ogawa and his wife, singer-violinist Kathryn Koch. The Atlanta duo has found success by melding orchestral drama and flair to pop structures that are clever and fun.

Now the pair have applied that winning formula to their choice of covers.

For their latest release, Takénobu have unveiled their take on “Sports Men,” the 1982 J-pop classic from Japanese New Wave pioneer Haruomi Hosono (Yellow Magic Orchestra, Happy End). It’s a perky cut led by crisp percussion and bright staccato strings, but what ties everything together is the underlying melancholy captured by Ogawa’s calm yet earnest vocals. An expression of both painful regret and awed admiration, the song unfolds through the lens of a sad-sack protagonist who bemoans their physical weakness while showering praise on an athletically gifted love interest. There’s just enough self-deprecating humor to keep things from slipping into tragedy—a slight schmear of understated comedy that’s helped along by the group’s playful arrangements.

The accompanying video plays into that self-effacing conceit with a montage of sporting failures. No matter what he tries his hand at, Ogawa’s bumbling character just can’t seem to find his footing. Koch and her onscreen family, on the other hand, appear both athletic and graceful. The disparity between the two is played up for effect, but by the end, Ogawa’s dogged persistence pays off as he’s finally able to keep up with Koch’s sporting prowess.

Watch/listen above.

Strangely enough, “Sports Men” won’t appear on Takénobu’s upcoming LP, Always Leave a Note. Instead, the standalone single was timed to coincide with this year’s Tokyo Olympic Games and all the drama and fanfare that entails.

Always Leave a Note is out Sept. 3.

More Info
Web: takenobumusic.com
Bandcamp: takenobu.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @TakenobuMusic
Instagram: @takenobumusic
Twitter: @TakenobuMusic