Underwater Drowns Emotions

God Lives Underwater could be an emotional band. The group’s songs are rich with bittersweet misery and cover the gamut of failed relationships and drug recovery.

This is the stuff that could make for an exceptionally cathartic experience in concert--if only the band would allow its listeners in. But on Tuesday at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, lead singer David Reilly emitted only a disaffected drone and seemed reluctant to delve any deeper. He sounded flatter than he is on GLU’s latest album, “Life in the So-Called Space Age,” where his low-key delivery works better amid the gentle techno soundscapes.

In concert, however, the L.A.-based duo adds a drummer and more guitar to its heavily programmed foundation. Almost becoming a different band in a live setting, GLU revels in its inability to belong to either genre while embracing both.

But that didn’t lead to the kind of release these songs practically beg for. The additional musicians contributed thicker musical textures, but no extra emotional heft.

While Reilly and songwriting-programming partner Jeff Turzo took advantage of the live setting to modify some of their more graceful, swirling arrangements and play a version of Depeche Mode’s “Stripped” even harsher than the original, the band still seems stuck in the studio, unaware that anyone is watching. Its next step in defying deejay culture would be to get some stage presence.

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* God Lives Underwater plays Wednesday at the Roxy, 9009 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 8 p.m. $14. (310) 278-9457.