February 10, 2026

by Robin Hilton

Our host of the All Songs Considered podcast takes over the newsletter today to explain the rise of America’s hottest rock band in honor of their appearance at the Tiny Desk.

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Geese members Emily Green, Dominic Digesu, Max Bassin and Cameron Winter

Mark Sommerfield

What do you know about Geese? On the one hand, Geese is just a rock band from Brooklyn. Fronted by the sometimes enigmatic singer Cameron Winter, the group formed a decade ago, put out a couple of albums that sound like a young band trying to figure out its sound, and started to develop a following. But things changed after they dropped their third full-length, Getting Killed, last fall. Suddenly, everyone seemed to be talking about them.

The algorithms started flooding feeds with the band's music and the hyperbole battles began. Fans proclaimed they were saving guitar rock with one of the most inventive and original sounds in a generation. Detractors called Geese derivative and inauthentic, or, even worse, unlistenable. In short order, Geese became one of the most talked about and polarizing bands of the year.

The debates got even more heated following the band's equally divisive performance on Saturday Night Live in late January. (We can't wait to see what people think of Geese's Tiny Desk, a set we actually recorded late last fall but are only able to share now).

So, on this episode of All Songs Considered, NPR Music's Ann Powers and I are joined by Yasi Salek, host of The Ringer's Bandsplain podcast and OG (Original Geesefan), to make sense of all the fuss. Full disclosure: We all love Geese, love the band's entire catalog, and love frontman Cameron Winter's 2024 solo album, Heavy Metal. At the same time, it's fair to ask, why aren't other great rock bands (cough, Wednesday, cough) attracting the same attention?

Listen to the latest episode of All Songs Considered

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What are the greatest videos from MTV’s golden era?

Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Reports from late last year about the demise of MTV were overstated, but they got us thinking about the network's legacy and most memorable moments. On this episode of All Songs Considered, we remember the best of MTV with a list of our favorite videos from its golden era — from Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" to Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love."

Listen to All Songs Considered's MTV tribute

Weekly song recommendations

Courtesy Iliad Records/Capitol Records

Jan. 13: NPR's classical critic Tom Huizenga joined host Robin Hilton for our first spin of the best songs we're hearing in 2026, including new ones from Big Thief's Buck Meek, the genre-hopping artist Joji, "fragile hope" from composer Daniel Bjarnason and more.
Jan. 27: NPR Music's Hazel Cills joined Robin to obsess over the hilarious and harrowing "Where's My Phone?" from Mitski, a slightly softer solo cut from Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, the confounding but wondrous wordplay of Father John Misty and more.
Feb. 3: The Beck rarity "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" officially hit streaming services last month and we can't get enough of it. We also premiered new albums from Chicago indie act Friko and the uncategorizable Asher White.

Geese: Tiny Desk Concert

NPR Music

The Brooklyn rock band focuses on the quieter moments of its whirlwind phenomenon, Getting Killed, and, as a result, we get Geese in its purest form.

Watch Geese's Tiny Desk Concert

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