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If you want to keep colors subdued, you might still make them more different in hue then. How about some pink in the browns, and bluer greens? Your palette could use some refining anyway, which I didn't do really carefully in my edit. Check this interview. This should apply to any palette, however saturated or not.
Contrast and saturation are linked to the palette, but each can also be adjusted independently. As you know, colors can be defined by hue-saturation-value (HSV). If you change only saturation, or only value, you don't change your color atmosphere lots.
And yes, you can lower palette count without contrasting, by just recycling colors (reusing an existing color instead of making a new one), removing too similar colors, and other subtle tweaks. But again, 11 is not that many. The point in lowering is not for it's own sake, it's a unifying tool.
Banding: yes actually, all it takes is to move one or two pixels here and there, to break the obvious parallel eye-catching clusters.
Transparency: can you see that the very top of the outline is a bit lighter than elsewhere? That's transparency. You probably accidentally applied a large soft eraser or something. In my edit, look at the frame with the high contrast background: it shows through (arrow).
You just need to re-paint over those places.
What's your software?
Edit: yes, do use the forums! =)
I also realize now that I have read the forum rules again that I should post things in the WIP. I mostly posted this piece here because it was the only pixel piece I had. It is a finished piece since it had a purpose and that purpose is fulfilled. I wouldn't even have done it if my husband hadn't request it. Thanks for the great info, though I am going to say, "Toodles", to Mushy and perhaps post something in the forums. ^.^
I looked at your edit and it's definitely an improvement on the shape. This was meant as an icon for my husband's programming project. I wanted the colors to be simple..er..subdued? Is there a way to lower the palette count without high contrast? On banding I read some stuff the other day that helped explain what that is, but is there a way to keep the shape while improving the banding? I don't understand the transparency comments. o.o
11 colors is not that many. That is, if you had them: there are actually many, many more because of accidental transparency!
Quick edit here. Pointing some banding (outlined red), transparency, then some fixing of shape (according to my taste, but too quick) and lines (yours are not very clean); finally upped contrast and edited colors (too quick too).
Besides low contrast, your colors are mostly two separate, although close, ramps: greenish greens and greenish browns. They're also used in separate areas.
It's always nicer to try for a more unified palette, and to recycle colors through a piece. Which is usually helped by reducing their numbers, although again not the case here.
(late comments, thanks forum!)
i mean, you got 11 colors in here and you could make it look the same or better and only use around 5 . the colors in here are all very similar. if you choose to make a new limited Palette i suggest using more contrast. 
try it out
Simply cutting some colors from the palette or removing two and replacing with a different altogether? *complete noob*
you could cut the palette in half and make it look the same.
Thank you!
I will definitely keep the hue in mind in the future. I see what you mean about the transparency now. Weird.
I used MSPaint to do the actually pixel work then used GIMP to convert the file.
*reading*