Check out the 2 disc album
The Fragile. I think it represents the best of NIN, but if you don't like it, that's fine! You don't have to like what you're friends like.
I like the way he conveys real feeling with the music. I think his music is real art - yea he's an emotional dude, but I wouldn't call it emo music, which I associate with identifying a demographic and marketing a prepackaged, soulless product to them - the farthest you could get from an actual work of art.
The NIN music is often very textural, like you mentioned - the machine-like feel - and I think Reznor (the NIN guy) is more interested in conveying his interior, mental and emotional landscape than figuring out what will sell records and pandering to the audience, so yea, I love NIN but a lot of his stuff I do not like at all, but I respect it, because its real music.
Last edited by Logic; Jun 24, 2010 at 07:31 AM.